Gary Hellewell explains some of the key things to remember from a lived experience perspective when implementing new roles in mental health services. Demonstrating why the New Roles in Mental Health Research Project led by the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Trust is critical in helping NHS services practically respond to the ongoing workforce crisis in mental health but in a way that supports those using the services provided.
Background:
The National Health Service (NHS) is currently facing a workforce crisis, and mental health services have been hit the hardest, with a higher turnover of staff and more vacant positions than the rest of the NHS. To bolster the mental health workforce, a range of new roles, such as Nursing Associates, Physician Associates, and Peer Support Workers, have been created. However, introducing new roles in mental health teams often leads to disruption in how care is organised and delivered.
With £800,000 of funding from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), researchers from Sheffield University Management School (SUMS) and the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) will study how best to introduce new roles in mental health to strengthen and support the healthcare system as a whole, for the benefit of service users and those delivering care. The project, “New Roles, New Challenges: Understanding boundary work to support the implementation of new roles in mental health Trusts”, will take a novel approach to this challenge. The project will develop a model to understand the different types of new roles, why they are being introduced and how they impact on how care is delivered. This model will then be validated by NHS staff and service users, and will inform eight in-depth case studies across four NHS Trusts to understand how new roles can most effectively be introduced.
For more info on the project please see the website.
sites.google.com/sheffield.ac.uk/new-roles-in-mental-health/home
Gary is from Rotherham and provides a lived experience perspective as a member of the Steering Group for the New Roles in Mental Health Research Project
The research project ‘New Roles, New Challenges: Understanding boundary work to support the implementation of new roles in mental health Trusts’ is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The views expressed on this video are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the UK government.