The ‘Northumberland MDT Hoarding Pathway’ (N-MDT-HP): Developing a community mental health multidisciplinary team approach to working with individuals with hoarding behaviours

Abstract

Mental health professionals report finding clinical work with individuals with hoarding behaviours challenging, due to a lack of experience or training, poor communication with other agencies and a lack of clarity around roles and remits. Within the current scoping study mental health professionals within a multidisciplinary team (MDT) were asked about their specific role in the assessment, formulation, and intervention of older adults with hoarding behaviours. This data was content coded by two researchers, and although finding some overlap between professional groups, they identified distinct tasks carried out by different professionals within the team. This data, alongside recent findings regarding clinicians’ subjective experiences of working with individuals with hoarding (Tinlin, 2022) and a literature review highlighting best practice for working with older adults with hoarding behaviours (Tinlin & Purvis, 2022), informed the development of a hoarding pathway. The pathway guides the treatment of an individual with hoarding difficulties by outlining distinct aspects of an MDT assessment, formulation, and care plan. Finally, recommendations are made for appropriate evidence-based interventions, with acknowledgement of how each professional group within the MDT can work together to support the individual with hoarding difficulties. The pathway was shaped in consultation with clinicians involved in the scoping study, and next steps include piloting the pathway within secondary care mental health services and gaining service user feedback.