Occupational Therapy Evidence in Practice for Mental Health

Cathy Long, Jane Cronin-Davis, Diane Cotterill, Cathy Long, Jane Cronin-Davis, Diane Cotterill

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781118990544
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy Evidence in Practice for Mental Health is an accessible and informative guide to the application of theory and the evidence-base to contemporary clinical practice. Fully updated throughout, chapters cover a range of mental health issues, approaches and settings, including service user and carer involvement, group work, services for older people, interventions, forensic mental health, and managing depression.

Key Features

• Written by an expert author team, drawing on a wide range of evidence, service contexts, national policy and legislation.
• Focus on person-centred practice in mental health services.
• Each chapter also contains a variety of learning features, including task boxes, reflective questions and further readings, to aid understanding and demonstrate the use of evidence to inform clinical decision-making.

The second edition of this easy-to-read and practical textbook is an ideal resource for occupational therapy students, clinical practitioners, and anyone looking for a concise, accessible guide to evidence-based practice and how it informs occupational therapy in mental health.

1
An Introduction: Tracking Developments in Mental Health Practice

Cheryl McMorris

Historically, there has been much debate and discussion about the difficulty in defining occupational therapy. Personally, occupational therapy is a passion. A passion to enable people to achieve their full potential, to work towards their goals and be all they can and want to be and more. The true aspiration of the occupational therapist is no different in mental or physical health – occupational therapy supports people to develop skills to overcome the challenges that restrict them and to utilise their strengths to enable them to live the lives they want to live.

Despite the significant changes in health and social care systems over the last decade and the current financial challenges we face, I am inspired by the creativity and adaptability of our profession. We actively seek out new scopes of practice, identifying the need for and highlighting the benefit of occupational therapy. We have outstanding clinicians, researchers, educators and managers, all of whom are exceptional leaders – determinedly working to develop, deliver and evidence the best of what occupational therapy can offer in mental health. We are beginning to embrace the requirements to develop and apply evidence that demonstrates our unique contribution to mental health service delivery and show the effectiveness of our interventions.

Occupational therapy in mental health has commenced its journey to adopt an evidence and values‐based approach. The chapters within this book reflect the initiatives, developments and evidence of our profession in mental health practice; however, we have not yet arrived at our destination. To ensure we deliver high quality care, cost effective interventions and that our profession continues to flourish we need to evidence what we know in our hearts: occupational therapy makes a positive contribution to high quality, effective mental health care.

Mental Health Legislation, Policy and Developments Influencing Occupational Therapy in Mental Health

The four countries of the UK, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, each have their own mental health legislation and concurrent policies, which are significant in determining the key priorities and agendas for mental health services. Such variations in legislation and mental health policies result in both subtle and major differences in role remit, commissioning and delivery of mental health services across the UK.

The introduction of Chief Allied Health Profession (AHP) Officers or Lead AHP Officers within government departments has had a significant impact upon occupational therapists working in mental health. These roles have instigated the production of key AHP policy and strategic drivers, which have been utilised to influence, evidence and support the work of occupational therapists employed in mental health in driving service change, improving service delivery and demonstrating our vital role within the mental health workforce.

A brief overview of the most recent mental health legislation, policy and AHP policy across the UK is given in Table 1.1 and Box 1.1. Throughout the book there is reference to relevant policy related to the specific area of practice and all efforts have been made to include a UK‐wide perspective.

Table 1.1 The policy context for evidence‐based practice in the UK (full references are listed in Box 1.1).

Country	Mental health legislation	Mental health policy	Allied health professional policy
England	Mental Health Act (1983) (Amended 2007) (Great Britain Parliament 1983, 2007)	DH (2014): Closing the Gap – priorities for essential change in mental health	Public Health England (2015): the role of allied health professionals in public health – examples of interventions delivered by allied health professionals that improve the public health
		DH (2011): No Health without Mental Health – a cross‐government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages
		DH (2009): Living Well with Dementia – a national dementia strategy
Northern Ireland	The Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 (Great Britain Parliament 1986)	Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (2011): Service Framework for Mental Health and Well‐being	Public Health Agency (2012): Allied Health Professionals Strategy 2012–2017 – improving health and well‐being through positive partnerships
		Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health (2009): Flourishing Society – Aspirations for Emotional Health and Well‐being in Northern Ireland
Scotland	Mental Health (Scotland) Act (2015). This Act amends provisions within the 2003 Act and some related provisions in the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995	The Scottish Government (2012): Mental Health Strategy for Scotland 2012–2015	The Scottish Government (2013): Allied Health Professions Scotland Consensus Statement on Quality Services Values
		The Scottish Government (2013): Scotland’s National Dementia Strategy 2013–2016	The Scottish Government (2010): Realising Potential – action plan for allied health professionals in mental health
			The Scottish Government (2012): AHPs as agents of change in health and social care – the National Delivery Plan for the Allied Health Professions in Scotland 2012–2015
Wales	The Welsh Government (2010): Mental Health Measure (Wales)	The Welsh Government (2012): Together for Mental Health – a cross‐government strategy to improve mental health and well‐being for all ages

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Box 1.1 The policy context for evidence‐based practice in the UK

Department of Health (2009) Living Well With Dementia: a national dementia strategy, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/living‐well‐with‐dementia‐a‐national‐dementia‐strategy (accessed 28 October 2016).

Department of Health (2011) No health without mental health: a cross‐government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/213761/dh_124058.pdf (accessed 28 October 2016).

Department of Health (2014) Closing the Gap: priorities for essential change in mental health, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/281250/Closing_the_gap_V2_‐_17_Feb_2014.pdf (accessed 28 October 2016).

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (2011) Service Framework for Mental Health and Wellbeing http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/guides/guide30/files/northern_ireland_mental_health_and_wellbeing_service_framework.pdf?res=true (accessed 28 October 2016).

Great Britain Parliament. Mental Health Act 2007, http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2007/12/contents (accessed 28 October 2016).

Great Britain Parliament. The Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 (No. 595) (NI 4), http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1986/595/contents (accessed 28 October 2016).

Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health (2009) A Flourishing Society: Aspirations for Emotional Health and Wellbeing in Northern Ireland, http://www.niamhwellbeing.org/SiteDocuments/compass_flourishing.pdf (accessed 28 October 2016).

Public Health Agency (2012) Allied Health Professionals Strategy 2012–2017: Improving health and well‐being trough positive partnerships, http://www.publichealth.hscni.net/ahp‐strategy‐2012‐2017 (accessed 28 October 2016).

Public Health England (2015) The role of allied health professionals in public health: examples of interventions delivered by allied health professionals that improve the publics’ health, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/...