Editorial
| Published date | 20 July 2009 |
| Pages | 2-2 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17556228200900007 |
| Date | 20 July 2009 |
| Author | Ian Baguley |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
2The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Volume 4 Issue 2 June 2009 © Pavilion Journals (Brighton) Ltd
Editorial
This edition of the Journal, along with a significant part
of Volume 4 Issue 3, reflects the work of the National
Institute of Mental Health in England National Workforce
Programme (NIMHE NWP). Roslyn Hope, who directed
the National Workforce Programme, provides a guest
editorial that describes the context and process behind the
programme; other contributors describe some of the work
undertaken by the NWP and the challenges they faced.
For those working in the NHS, it feels as though no
sooner have one set of changes been suggested and begun
to be implemented, the next set of changes are stacking
up and waiting in the wings. Such an approach to change
management and service improvement often leads to
workers feeling suspicious about the purpose of change
and unhappy at the thought that the work they are doing
isn’t good enough.
The NIMHE NWP was able to take a longer term view
and to be much more collaborative and systematic in
its approach. The programme started in 2003 and came
to an end this year, although much of its work such as
Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies, New Ways
of Working, Creating Capable Teams etc will be taken up
by other organisations. For a programme to have such a
long life in the NHS feels something of a luxury, other
programmes of work that came and went around the same
timescale include the University for the NHS (NHSu),
Workforce Development Confederations (WDCS) and
Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs in their original form).
The importance of having more than just a couple
of years before another change is imposed can be seen
in the outcomes from the NWP – the Ten Essential
Shared Capabilities (Department of Health, 2004) and the
Creating Capable Teams (Department of Health, 2007)
methodology are just two of the very practical products
that emerged from the programme. One of the most
exciting pieces of work undertaken by the NWP was
the New Ways of Working for Psychiatrists (Care Services
Improvement Partnership et al, 2005) programme and
rapidly became New Ways of Working for everyone in
mental health such was the enthusiasm among many
people; this programme was driven jointly by the energy
and vision of Dr Mike Shooter, the then president of the
Royal College of Psychiatrists, and Roslyn Hope.
The New Ways of Working (NWW) programme of
work offers real hope that services adopting new ways of
working can offer a more rewarding experience for service
users, carers and those who provide services. Although
in many organisations, NWW has led to a reduction in
the use of locum psychiatrists (and consequent financial
savings); this is a direct result of increasing recruitment.
The primary aim of the programme is to encourage
services to focus on the strengths of the professionals that
they employ and allow them to use their skills for the
benefit of those who use services.
Those who believe that services are just fine as they
are and the current system must continue should take five
minutes to examine the entries on the Patient Opinion
website (http://www.pa tientopinion.org. uk/), where it
quickly becomes clear that some services still have much
work to do.
References
Care Services Improvement Partnership, National Institute
of Mental Health in England, Care Workforce Programme &
Royal College of Psychiatrists (2005) New Ways of Working for
Psychiatrists: Enhancing effective, person-centred services through new
ways of working in multidisciplinary and multi-agency contexts. Final
report ‘but not the end of the story’. London: Department of Health.
Department of Health (2004) The Ten Essential Shared
Capabilities: A framework for the whole health and social care
workforce. London: Department of Health.
Department of Health (2007) Creating Capable Teams Approach.
Best practice guidance to support the implementation of new ways of
working (NWW) and new roles. London: Department of Health.
Ian Baguley
Professor of Mental Health, NIMHE National Workforce Programme and Director, Centre for Clinical and
Academic Workforce Innovation, University of Lincoln
The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Volume 4 Issue 2 June 2009 © Pavilion Journals (Brighton) Ltd
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