Setting up recovery clinics and promoting service user involvement

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Engagement

Background:

• Service user involvement in mental health services is increasingly recognized but often remains theoretical.
• Acute inpatient mental health units present significant challenges to practical service user involvement.
• Existing care models may not adequately facilitate meaningful engagement with service users.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate recovery clinics as a novel care delivery model.
• To promote and enhance service user involvement within acute inpatient mental health settings.
• To foster a person-centred approach in nursing practice.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of recovery clinics at Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.
• Utilized a needs-led, bottom-up initiative guided by Kotter's change model.
• Collaborative involvement of service users and nurses in the implementation process.

Main Results:

• Successful achievement of objectives, evidenced by increased meaningful interactions.
• Demonstrated enhanced involvement in care planning and delivery by service users and carers.
• Recovery clinics received wide recognition for their effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Recovery clinics are an effective model for bridging the gap between theory and practice in service user involvement.
• The person-centred, collaborative approach positively impacts inpatient mental health care.
• Further research into innovative care delivery models is needed to sustain and expand service user involvement.