Mental health social care: scoping and developing new and necessary health and care research system.

Mental health social care is an emerging and evolving field of practice and research within mental health care in the UK. It recognises the significant role played by social determinants in the development of mental illness and distress, and in recovery and well-being. By considering mental health social care as a distinct health and care research system, this paper outlines key priorities for research, funding and capacity building.

Developing evidence for a national strategy for older adults in the criminal justice system: overview of the nominal group approach for this series of brief reports.

The number of people aged 50 and over entering the criminal justice system (CJS) in England and Wales is growing. This raises questions as to the suitability of the CJS to equitably accommodate individuals with complex illness or impairment, who might experience difficulties in cognitive function, frailty, and/or impaired mobility. Findings from the government, the third sector, and academic literature have highlighted the difficulties experienced by older adults in the CJS and those tasked with supporting them.

Older women in the criminal justice system: a brief report from a nominal group.

There are increasing numbers of older women in prison in England and Wales. The needs of older women in prison have been under researched and are often unmet. This paper explores staff and expert perspectives on the needs of older women in prison through a nominal group attended by six participants, including a consultant at the UK Health Security Agency; a General Practitioner; a postgraduate student completing a project on older women in prison; an academic researcher with expertise on older women in prison; a National Women's Health, Social Care, and Environment Review Group lead; and a HMMPS Diversity and Inclusion Lead.

The mental health of older adults in the criminal justice system: a brief report from a nominal group.

The number of older people in prison is increasing, and this group has significant mental health needs. Despite this, little research has evaluated mental healthcare for older prisoners, and examples of best practice are unknown. This paper explored staff experiences of supporting the mental health needs of older prisoners to identify existing forms of care provision, challenges to implementation, and areas for improvement.

The COVID-19 pandemic and older adults in prison: a brief report from a nominal group.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns were raised regarding the vulnerability of prisoners to infection from the virus, leading to numerous changes to prison regimes and healthcare delivery. A nominal group was conducted exploring the experiences and views of prison staff involved in supporting older adult prisoners in England and Wales during times of COVID-19, including considering improvements in prison healthcare that can be applied beyond the pandemic. The group included seven participants with relevant knowledge and experience, comprising two consultants in public health, four heads of prison healthcare, and a prison governor.

Psychiatrists' attitudes to professional boundaries concerning spirituality and religion: mixed-methods study.

Aims And Method: Calls for the integration of spirituality into psychiatric practice have raised concerns about boundary violations. We sought to develop a method to capture psychiatrists' attitudes to professional boundaries and spirituality, explore consensus and understand what factors are considered. Case vignettes were developed, tested and refined.

A study of the implementation of patient safety policies in the NHS in England since 2000: what can we learn?

Purpose: Despite repeated policy initiatives, progress in improving patient safety in the National Health Service (NHS) in England over the past two decades has been slow. The NHS Patient Safety Strategy (NHS England and NHS Improvement, 2019), which is being implemented currently, aims to address this problem. The purpose of this study is to identify learning from the implementation of past patient safety policies and thereby suggest means of supporting the NHS in delivering the current policy initiative successfully.

Breaking out of the citadel: social theory and psychiatry.

British psychiatry has tended to hold itself aloof from social theory. Nonetheless, these ideas have influenced the development of mental health services. Alongside this, the biopsychosocial model cannot reconcile contradictions in the scientific evidence regarding mental illness.

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in individuals with pre-existing mental illness.

Background: There is evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected mental health, but most studies have been conducted in the general population.

Aims: To identify factors associated with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in individuals with pre-existing mental illness.

Method: Participants (N = 2869, 78% women, ages 18-94 years) from a UK cohort (the National Centre for Mental Health) with a history of mental illness completed a cross-sectional online survey in June to August 2020.

Exploration of joint working practices on anti-social behaviour between criminal justice, mental health and social care agencies: A qualitative study.

Although the police play an important role for people with mental health problems in the community, little is known about joint working practices between mental health, social care and police services. There is potential for tensions and negative outcomes for people with mental health problems, in particular when the focus is on behaviours that could be interpreted as anti-social. This study explores perceptions about joint working between mental health, social care and police services with regard to anti-social behaviour.

Profile: Vanessa Cameron - 36 years at the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

On 16 December 2016, Vanessa Cameron retires as Chief Executive of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. She started working there in September 1980 and in 1984 she became Secretary of the College, the role that preceded chief executive. The College was formed in 1971, so Vanessa has been present for most of its lifetime.

An assessment of need for mental health rehabilitation amongst in-patients in a Welsh region.

Background: Rehabilitation services have received little attention in the literature compared with other types of mental health service provision over the past 15 years. However, they are an important component of whole-system functioning in mental health services. Lack of provision has a particular impact on acute in-patient services.

The influence of child sexual abuse on the self from adult narrative perspectives.

The impact of child sexual abuse on the adult self is not yet clearly understood. We explored adult perspectives through the use of narrative interviews (N = 30). Three key themes or views of self were identified in all narratives to varying degrees: the worthless self, the self as unknown, and the potential/developing self.

Exploring caregiving experiences: caregiver coping and making sense of illness.

Objectives: The current research explores how family caregivers (1) make sense of caregiving and (2) cope with their circumstance.

Method: We analysed semistructured interviews of 13 caregivers of people with either stroke (n = 5) or dementia (n = 8) and used photographs that caregivers took exemplifying their caregiving experiences to elicit their description of how they made sense of caregiving. This enabled greater insight into caregivers' perspective of caregiving complementing our use of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to analyse verbatim transcripts.

Does coping mediate the relationship between familism and caregiver outcomes?

Objectives: The sociocultural model of stress and coping, which despite receiving support from several studies conducted with diverse ethnic groups, has yet to be tested longitudinally or used within the context of positive caregiver outcomes. The aim of the current study was to test a specific component of the model, which posits that caregiver coping will be influenced by the cultural value of familism (feelings of solidarity and loyalty among family members), which will in turn affect caregiver outcomes.

Method: A questionnaire was completed by 123 family caregivers in the UK assessing familism, use of coping strategies, caregiver gains, anxiety and depression at three time points over nine months.

Ethnicity, familism and willingness to care: important influences on caregiver mood?

Objective: Few studies have to date examined the effects of ethnicity on caregiver motivations, coping responses and mood. This theoretically informed study uses the socio-cultural model of stress and coping to explore these relationships amongst a White-British and British South-Asian caregiver sample.

Method: A total of 235 primary family caregivers were recruited for a cross-sectional questionnaire survey; of which 162 were White-British and 73 were British South-Asian.

Compulsory medical rural placements: senior student opinions of early-year experiential learning.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine senior medical student (year 3-5) opinions of their early-year (year 1-2) rural placement.

Design: We assessed the impact of MBBS early-year rural placements through a follow up of this cohort in their later years using a cross-sectional questionnaire.

Setting: The questionnaire was administered to year 3-5 medical students at their clinical school.

Ethnic variations in the caregiver role: a qualitative study.

The present study aimed to establish an in-depth qualitative analysis of the convergence and divergence of the experiences of caregivers from four ethnic groups. Eight Bangladeshi, nine Indian, four Pakistani and nine White-British caregivers participated in five focus groups. Differences and similarities between motivations for role adoption, willingness to care, experience of role, adaptation to role, coping, use of and satisfaction with support were discussed.

Carers with chronic conditions: changes over time in their physical health.

Objectives: To explore the experiences of individuals with chronic conditions who are also caring for another person, usually a family member.

Method: A postal questionnaire was distributed to carers across Wales on three occasions approximately 18 months apart. It included the SF-12v2 together with fixed-choice and open-ended questions relating to carer demographics, carer assessment, support needs, services received and care recipient's medical condition.

An emotive subject: insights from social, voluntary and healthcare professionals into the feelings of family carers for people with mental health problems.

Caring for people with mental health problems can generate a whole range of positive and negative emotions, including fear, disbelief, guilt and chaos as well as a sense of purpose, pride and achievement. This paper explores the emotions of family carers from the perspectives of social, voluntary and healthcare professionals. Sixty-five participants were interviewed, the sample included directors, managers and senior staff from social, voluntary and healthcare organisations.

Stress and job satisfaction among social workers, community nurses and community psychiatric nurses: implications for the care management model.

The introduction in April 1993 of new arrangements for assessment and care management following the NHS and Community Care Act 1990 (Department of Health 1990a) heralded a period of major transition for front-line workers in the health and social services. Policy expectations for the development of the purchaser/provider split and the 'new managerialism' have posed unprecedented ideological, organizational and professional challenges. Two years after the full implementation of the reforms a postal survey of the experiences of care managers about policy and practice changes was undertaken in Wales.