Editorial
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/13619322199700011 |
| Pages | 4-4 |
| Date | 01 June 1998 |
| Published date | 01 June 1998 |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
Editorial
I
fyou are fortunate enough to be employed, I would
like you to pause and consider just how central
work is to your life. Not merely the money, but
the feeling of worth, the sense of purpose, the network
of personal relationships that come with our jobs. There
is clear research support for the link between unemploy-
ment and mental health problems (for example, Warner,
1994).
Yet if you examine mental health services, there
seems to be evident an expectation that long-term users
of mental health services cannot work; an apparent
belief, indeed, that they do not want to work. In
London, for instance, the recent report of the King’s
Fund London Commission stated that: ‘sheltered work
is only available in good supply to about 22% of
Trusts, and schemes providing support in open market
employment areuniversally poor’(Johnson et al., 1997).
The majority of people between 18 and 65 with long-
term severe mental health problems are unemployed.
Their mental health problems are compounded by
exclusion from the labour market; an exclusion that
mental health services seem rarely to address. But over
the past five years I have attended numerous ‘stake-
holder’ conferences and, when asked about their needs,
users never fail the articulate their desire for work or
meaningful activity.
So what are the reasons why health and social
services do not seem to attempt to provide adequate
employment opportunities? What are the trends in the
social and legislative context that might lead to a rectifi-
cation of this neglect? What arethe key questions that
purchasers and providers need to ask themselves? And
what models and approaches are emerging that can be
adopted locally? These are the questions that this edition
explores. It is one contribution to a debate about the
issue that may, at last, be starting to receive the attention
that it warrants. I would draw your attention to the
excellent publication Working it Out: Creating work
opportunities for people with mental health problems –
adevelopment handbook (Pozner,Ng, Hammond &
Shepherd, 1996) and the Life in the Day network run
by Pavilion, details of which can be found on page 7 of
this issue.
In this edition of the
Review
,Bob Grove gives his
personal view of the importance of employment in the
lives of people with mental health problems. Peter Bates
and I contribute the framework featureon the context
for, and the models of, employment and vocational
rehabilitation. There are then descriptions of schemes
from around the UK. Tony Roddis provides a stimulating
account of the PSAW approach in Surrey and the
frustration with traditional schemes that led to its
development. Paddy Cooney and Katy Malcolm set
out the attractions of the Feathers Co-operative in
South London which led Sheffield to want to replicate
the project in the north, and the issues to be addressed
in such replications of innovation. Colin MacLean
reflects on his involvement with a Clubhouse in
North London, and the wider Clubhouse movement.
This edition sees the introduction of a new regular
feature in which Christopher Curran and colleagues
summarise aspects of the legislation relating to mental
health services. The first piece, written by Christopher
Curran and Catherine Grimshaw, deals with the respon-
sibilities of hospital managers and managers review of
detention under the 1983 Mental Health Act.
Finally, thank you to all of you who have renewed
your subscriptions. The rate of subscription renewal has
been much higher than is usual for a journal of this sort
and I hope it indicates that you are finding the content
and style of the material of value.
References
Johnson, S., Ramsay, R., Thornicroft, G., Brooks, L., Lelliot,
P
., Peck, E., Smith, H., Chisholm, D., Audini, B., Knapp, M.
and Goldberg, D. (1997) London’s Mental Health. London:
King’s Fund.
Pozner, A., Ng, M., Hammond, J. and Shepherd, G. (1996)
Working It Out: Creating work opportunities for people with mental
health problems. Brighton: Pavilion.
Warner, R. (1994) Recovery from Schizophrenia: Psychiatry and
the political economy.London: Routledge.
EDITORIAL
4 The Mental Health Review 2:2 ©Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) 1997
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