Course Description

According to current mental health policy, mental health services should be focused on the person using the services and staff should be equipped with a range of skills to meet individual service user needs. They should be available and consistent. There was a view from our focus groups with professionals that people often want to see the consultant in the belief that he/she knows best, whilst our own members felt that personal qualities of staff were at least as important as their qualifications and skillsets. Cultural expectations and learned helplessness are limiting factors in efforts to improve service quality, whilst the point is often made that staff may become just as institutionalised as their patients.

The National Service Users Executive (NSUE) conducted a survey in 2010 of its members entitled Second Opinions. The results showed, that overall, people were generally satisfied with the quality of their services, although there were wide local and regional variations. It will be interesting to see next years survey results given the current financial situation and the reduction in staff numbers.

The National Service Users Executive (NSUE) conducted a survey in 2010 of its members entitled Second Opinions. The results showed, that overall, people were generally satisfied with the quality of their services, although there were wide local and regional variations. It will be interesting to see next years survey results given the current financial situation and the reduction in staff numbers.