Initial engagement with mental health support groups
Summary
Our team had received ongoing anecdotal feedback from service-users about their concerns with mental health services. In some cases it was not clear which provider delivered the service. We visited two support groups to listen to experiences of 11 service-users and to find out what service-users thought would help make things better.
Key findings
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Concern that service users are given insufficient information when being transferred to or discharged from services.
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Lack of confidence in and reassurance about the complaints process.
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There is a concern that caring responsibilities are not recognised or supported adequately, leading to an exacerbation of mental health conditions.
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The inflexibility of the appointment system or staff sometimes results in them being unnecessarily discharged and causing stress.
Recommendations
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Engage with service-users on the complaints, compliments and any other feedback processes or forums to identify what is working well and how improvements can be made.
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Engage with service-users about the challenges they face and identify what additional support or access to services can be implemented.
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Review the appointment system, and ensure it can accommodate changes to scheduled appointments, without penalising the service-user.
