Improving multidisciplinary clinical discussion on an inpatient mental health ward
| Date | 13 June 2016 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/MHRJ-09-2015-0026 |
| Pages | 107-118 |
| Published date | 13 June 2016 |
| Author | Sian Dallimore,Katharine Christie,Maria Loades |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health |
Improving multidisciplinary clinical
discussion on an inpatient mental
health ward
Sian Dallimore, Katharine Christie and Maria Loades
Sian Dallimore is a Clinical
Psychologist at the Hafan Hedd
Resource Centre, University of
Bath, Bath, UK.
Katharine Christie is based at
the Avon and Wiltshire Mental
Health Partnership NHS Trust,
Bath, UK.
Maria Loades is based at the
University of Bath, Bath, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –Multidisciplinary team(MDT) clinical supervision is beingused in many mentalhealth services butat
present hasnot received adequate attention by researchers in order to generateevidence-based approaches.
The purposeof this paperis to explore the utilityand staff perspectivesof an MDT modelof clinical supervisionin
the form of a “ClinicalDiscussion Group”(CDG)on an acuteinpatient mentalhealth ward withinthe contextof the
current literature on the components of effective supervision in orderto make recommendationsfor practice.
Design/methodology/approach –In total, 12 members of staff working on the ward were interviewed to
gather their perspective on attendance, helpful aspects, outcomes, unhelpful aspects, and changes.
Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings –In total, 11 themes were identified, three within “The Group and how it operates”(attendance,
discussion topics and facilitation), five within “Impact and Usefulness”(valued by staff, understanding a case,
emotional benefit, learning and working together as a team) and three within “Changes to the Group”
(organisation, discussion topic and group outcomes).
Originality/value –This paper explores the benefits and challenges of a CDG from the perspective of the
staff who attend. It presents some recommendations for good practice which should be of use to managers
and supervisors who wish to use team supervision to improve patient outcomes and also makes suggestions
for future research in this field.
Keywords Multidisciplinary, Mental health, Supervision, Inpatient services, Team formulation
Paper type Research paper
Clinical supervision, henceforth referred to as supervision, is the oversight of practice, and may
be more specifically defined as “the formal provision by senior/qualified health practitioners of an
intensive relationship-based education and training that is case focused and which supports,
directs and guides the work of colleagues”(Milne, 2007). Staff working on inpatient psychiatric
(or mental health) wards have access to several formats of supervision including formal group or
individual case discussions, managerial, case conferences, handovers, daily reviews and peer
discussions (Buus et al., 2011). Clinical psychologists are well-placed to provide supervision
within staff teams, a position which is recognised by various government and professional body
documents (British Psychological Society, 2001; National Institute for Mental Health in England,
2007). Multidisciplinary team (MDT) supervision offers an opportunity for members of different
professions to work together to enhance the quality of patient care (Mullarkey et al., 2001).
The purpose of clinical supervision
Proctor (1987) proposed a framework for supervision incorporating three key functions:
formative, normative and restorative. This framework has been used to shape supervision
Received 6 September 2015
Revised 31 January 2016
Accepted 9 April 2016
DOI 10.1108/MHRJ-09-2015-0026 VOL. 21 NO. 2 2016, pp. 107-118, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1361-9322
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MENTALHEALTH REVIEW JOURNAL
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PAG E 10 7
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