A qualitative study assessing mental health issues in two hospices in the UK

This study is a qualitative investigation into the experiences of assessing mental health issues by members of staff from two hospices in the UK. Nine individual interviews were held with doctors and nurses from the two hospices using semi-structured interviews. The research method used was grounded theory and the emerging data were analysed using the computer software Atlas.ti. The analysis was conducted around the four main research questions: 'How is mental health assessed in the hospices?', 'What are the staff members' feelings about doing these assessments?', 'How does assessment information inform clinical practice?' and 'What are the perceived training needs of staff?' The findings show that mental health is, to some extent, being assessed within these two hospices; however, no formal assessment strategy is in place. The majority of staff interviewed had very limited experience and/or training in the field of mental health and expressed a lack of confidence when dealing with mental health-related issues. A list of training needs has been identified. On the basis of these findings, recommendations have been made to improve the assessment procedures currently used within these two hospices.