Partners in Recovery program evaluation: changes in unmet needs and recovery

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Services Research
• Public Health Initiatives
• Psychiatric Rehabilitation

Background:

• Partners in Recovery (PIR) is an Australian initiative supporting individuals with severe and persistent mental illness.
• The program aims to link services and address complex needs to facilitate recovery.
• A 'support facilitator' role was introduced to deliver these services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of PIR programs in reducing unmet needs.
• To assess the impact of PIR on self-reported mental health recovery.
• To examine outcomes for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness in Sydney.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Camberwell Assessment of Need Short Appraisal Scale (CANSAS) for unmet needs.
• Employed the Recovery Assessment Scale - Domains and Stages (RAS-DS) for recovery.
• Paired t-tests analyzed changes in needs and recovery over time.

Main Results:

• Individuals reported a reduction of 2-3 unmet needs at follow-up.
• Mental health recovery scores increased by approximately 5% across all domains.
• The most persistent unmet needs were for 'company' and 'daytime activities'.

Conclusions:

• PIR services in Sydney demonstrated positive outcomes in reducing unmet needs and enhancing recovery.
• The 'support facilitator' role appears effective in improving outcomes for individuals with severe mental illness.
• Further interventions are needed to address social isolation and meaningful activity engagement.