'I am more than my diagnosis': Amplifying the voice of consumers in the design and delivery of mental health services.

Abstract

Objective: In line with the Australian Government's Vision 2030, this research foregrounds consumer experiences of recovery to inform the (co)design and delivery of mental health services for people living with complex needs and/or a severe and persistent mental health condition.

Setting: The research takes a specialist focus on the regional setting, with data collected from client experiences within Western NSW, Australia, in the context of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) implementation and inclusion of psycho-social disability within the NDIS service environment.

Participants: Thirty-seven people aged 19-70 years living with complex needs and/or a diagnosis of a severe and persistent mental health condition were recruited from services where they had a care plan or where they were members of a consumer reference group for recovery-oriented services.

Design: A tripartite framework integrating recovery oriented, trauma-informed and collective impact approaches for a qualitative, arts-based (photovoice) study.

Results: In areas of the mental health service system that had not yet applied a personalised understanding of recovery or embraced trauma-informed practice there were a range of issues and gaps in service delivery relating to authentic relationships, belonging and connection, service cultures, trauma-informed care, and workforce investment.

Conclusion: Clinical and non-clinical services need to ensure consistent person-centred and trauma-informed practice is implemented throughout the mental health service system to meet the needs of the consumer. An eight-point checklist serves as the basis for services to reflect on how they are working with consumers and to support the review of systems and clinical governance frameworks.