A deliberative study into the impact of integration on mental health social work in England: merely a dialogue or activism?
| Published date | 12 March 2018 |
| Date | 12 March 2018 |
| Pages | 77-89 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-08-2016-0039 |
| Author | Sarah Anne Oakley Vicary,John Bailey |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Mental health education |
A deliberative study into the impact of
integration on mental health social work in
England: merely a dialogue or activism?
Sarah Anne Oakley Vicary and John Bailey
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to examine the impact on mental health social work of
integrated care; and second, to explore the effectiveness of the use of deliberative research, a methodology
which is new to mental health social work research.
Design/methodology/approach –Developed to enable examination of policy, deliberative research is
underpinned by a desire to permit choice and change brought about through an iterative dialogue.
This communication is based on informed and respectful equality between policy makers or implementers
and those subject to that implementation. In order to achieve this equality, participation in debate by
participants is viewed as essential, including as part of the process, participants becoming better informed
about the phenomenon in question.
Findings –The findings show that effective mental health social work underpins successful integrated care
which, inturn, is viewed as relevant. In addition,people who access servicesidentified that mentalhealth social
workers arewell positioned as facilitatorsand explainers in integratedcare. The issue to be further exploredby
research, therefore, is not whether servicesshould be delivered separatelyor in an integratedway, but how to
keep improving anddeveloping integrated care and especially the impact of ongoing power differentials.
Research limitations/implications –The use of deliberative research worked reasonably well as an
underpinning methodology for this study in that it sought to achieve the opinions of the public, in this instance
consumers who provided or accessed mental health social work. The ethical need to ensure no harm
came to this particular group meant that their opinions were not debated with the whole. This limitation to
iterative dialogue is undoubtedly a consideration when undertaking deliberative research on such
populations. This study offered just this, a one-off event, as in reality the commitment from participants to
attend more than this one session would have been prohibitive.
Practical implications –The test, practically, comes with the events for data collection. This is not just the
debate as to whether these, as one-off events, bring about agreement and not deliberation, but also whether
researchers can, with a group that has particular needs, effectively integrate them into the deliberation.
Given that it is an ethical priority to ensure that the participants are not harmed, this is not always going to be
possible where the “public”includes those who may be vulnerable.
Originality/value –Deliberative research methodology is a new approach in mental health social work
research. The influential finding is activism: peoplewho access services recognise and suggest a challenge to
the normative power differential in integrated care, as embodied in mental health social workers, and it is this
aspect that warrants further investigation.
Keywords Integration, Deliberative research, Mental health social work
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Mental health social work is a contemporaneous shorthand applied to qualified registered
social workers in E ngland practising in mental health servic es, primarily within statutory hea lth
and social care. Thi s paper has two aims: th e first is to examine the i mpact on mental healt h
social work of integrated care, using deliberative research; and the second is to explore the
effectiveness of the use of this methodology which is new to mental health social work
research. What follows is a discussion of a small research project exploring the views of current
Received 19 August 2016
Revised 31 May 2017
Accepted 29 September 2017
Sarah Anne Oakley Vicaryis a
Senior Lecturerand John Bailey
is an AssociateLecturer, both at
the Schoolof Health, Well-being
and Social Care, Faculty of
Wellbeing, Education and
Languages, Open University,
Milton Keynes, UK.
DOI 10.1108/JMHTEP-08-2016-0039 VOL. 13 NO. 2 2018, pp.77-89, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1755-6228
j
THE JOURNAL OF MENTALHEALTH TRAINING, EDUCATION AND PRACTICE
j
PAGE77
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