Implementing a new national role in mental health: the support, time and recovery worker
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17556228200600005 |
| Pages | 30-36 |
| Date | 01 May 2006 |
| Published date | 01 May 2006 |
| Author | Alison James,Siobhan Chadwick,David Rushforth |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
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Implementing a new national role in
mental health: the support, time and
recovery worker
Abstract
Support, time and recovery (STR) workers are in the
vanguard of the new frontline, non-professionally
affiliated groups identified in the NHS Plan
(Department of Health, 2000).
Since 2003, the former changing workforce
programme mental health team (now partof
NIMHE’snational workforce programme) have
facilitated the implementation of this role across
England, initially through a pilot project, then an
accelerated development programme (ADP). It is
this latter, ongoing, programme that forms the
basis of this article. The authors refer to the
challenge of establishing the STR worker role in a
variety of statutory, non-statutory and independent
service settings and achieving the Department of
Health (DH) target of 3000 STR workers in post by
December 2006. The collaborative implementation
process is discussed and many issues such as
performance management, measures, service user
involvement, organisational (including human
resources and occupational health) support, and
education and training, are explored. Key learning
from the process is identified, and consideration
given to the futureapplication of such a simple yet
effective model for change.
Key words
support, time and recovery workers; partnership
working; service user involvement; support and
recruitment; collaborative implementation process
Introduction
Support, time and recovery (STR) workers are in the
vanguard of the new frontline, non-professionally
affiliated groups including primary care graduate mental
health workers identified in the NHS Plan (Department of
Health, 2000). The Department of Health set specific
targets of 3000 STR workers in post by December 2006,
and 1000 primarycare graduate mental health workers in
post by December 2004.
The implementation plans to develop new worker
capacity took different and distinct pathways. Whilst the
focus of this paper centres on the STR model, there are
parallels with the experience of the other new workers,
most notably the need for consistency in education and
training standards and the terms and conditions of
employment (NIMHE, 2004).
The Workforce Action Team (WAT) was set up in 2000
to look at the workforce, education and training
implications of the National Service Framework for
Mental Health (Department of Health, 1999) and the
NHS Plan (Department of Health, 2000). As part of this
work, the WAT considered the non professionally
affiliated mental health workforce, and concluded that a
new type of worker – the STR worker – should be
introduced (WAT, 2001). The STR worker concept was
informed by:
●Widespread consultation with service users as to what
they regarded as the most valuable type of support
(Russell, 2000).
●An acknowledgement that many staff were currently
working in support worker roles. There was little or
no consistency in the expectations of these workers,
and their training and supervision, if any, was patchy.
Alison James, Siobhan Chadwick
Workforce Specialists and Joint National Programme Leads for STR Implementation, NIMHE National Workforce
Programme
and David Rushforth
National Project Manager. Primary Care Graduate Mental Health Programme, Centre for Clinical and Academic
Workforce Innovation, University of Lincoln
The Journal of Mental Health Workforce Development Volume 1 Issue 1 May 2006 © Pavilion
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