'A community in crisis': staff qualitative experiences of NHS and third sector mental healthcare in England.

Abstract

Background: More people than ever are receiving support for mental health issues, and instances of suicide continue to grow. Although mental health funding has increased, UK government figures evidence that the National Health Service (NHS) does not have the resources required to respond to such growth in demand. The experiences of staff working in mental health services can offer insight into the efficacy of current provision and assist in service evaluation; however, research examining this issue outside of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the context of community mental health, is lacking.

Aims: We aimed to explore the perspectives of staff working in a variety of mental health services in North-West England, to elucidate the current standard of care provided and highlight areas for improvement.

Method: One-to-one interviews were conducted with 26 staff members as part of a qualitative grounded theory analysis.

Results: Findings portrayed a community in crisis, consisting of the following themes: stabilisation not recovery, inefficient pathways and barriers to collaboration.

Conclusions: NHS services are struggling to meet the mental health needs of the population, resulting in lengthy waiting times for therapy, a lack of intervention-focused care and an over-reliance on the third sector. While crisis cafés are provided at low cost and result in satisfaction, policy-makers must ensure that these receive adequate funding and do not become overburdened. Staff reported that collaboration between clinical and non-clinical services would improve care pathways and reduce strain on the NHS, but judgemental attitudes and inflexible service development must be challenged to achieve this.