Training graduate primary care mental health workers for collaborative practice: part 1
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17556228200700016 |
| Pages | 12-22 |
| Published date | 01 November 2007 |
| Date | 01 November 2007 |
| Author | Di Bailey |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
12
Training graduate primary care mental
health workers for collaborative practice:
part 1
Abstract
This paper is the first of two linked articles that
explores a shared learning approach to developing a
module on collaborative working for graduate
primarycare mental health workers (PCMHWs). The
article describes how the policy context shaped the
training agenda and how the requirements of the
roles and responsibilities in respect of collaborative
practice weremapped against the
Ten Essential
Capabilities
of the mental health workforce. The
process of constructive alignment (Biggs, 1999) that
involves matching teaching and assessment methods
to intended learning objectives was used alongside
evidence from the research literature on systems
working and interprofessional education to inform
the design of the modular curriculum in more detail.
The second paper will provide an in-depth
evaluation of the module as it was delivered using a
framework derived from the academic literature (See
Bailey & Littlechild, 2001 and Barr
et al
,1999a; 1999b).
Included in the evaluation will be a discussion of how
the context of workforce change in primarycare
mental health influenced the training inputs together
with a reflection on the training methodologies
employed to promote collaborative practice.
Different levels of evaluating the training will be
discussed including the impact of the module on
practice outcomes such as attitudes of the workers
and changes in their practice. The lessons learned
from the evaluation will be discussed in relation to the
models of best practice emerging from the IPE
literature and the challenges of implementing a new
workforce strategy in primary care mental health.
Key words
graduate primarycare mental health workers; training;
shared learning approach; collaborative practice
Introduction
This paper is presented as the first of two linked articles
that adopts a case study methodology, focusing upon a
training programme that used a shared learning approach
in the third module to develop graduate primarycare
mental health worker’s skills and knowledge in
collaborative practice.
This first paper aims to share the experience of
designing the training, locating the decision making
process regarding the design and deliveryof the module
within the political context and workforce developments
that rendered it necessary.Consideration of the process of
constructive alignment is related specifically to this third
module on collaborative practice alongside findings from
the research literature on interprofessional education (IPE)
and adult learning as informing the detailed design and
curriculum planning process. The importance of
understanding the PCMHWs role within the wider system
of mental health care deliverywill be highlighted as
important for the planning and implementation of the
training intervention.
The use of a case study approach to examine
professional training such as that being provided to the
PCMHWs has been applied by the author previously with
other professional groups including social workers and
drugs workers (Bailey, 2002a; 2002b). Also, in a systematic
review of post-qualifying mental health education the
need for more robust studies particularly in respect of
training targeted at primarycare was called for (Bailey et
al,2003). In the majority of the studies, reviewed data
produced was not predictive of outcomes such as changes
in knowledge of skills. Thus, as Stake (1995), Scriven
(1996) and Cronbach and associates (1980) argue, a
quantitative approach that aims to generalise at the
expense of an analysis of the particularity of the
curriculum is inappropriate. According to Stake (ibid),
Cohen et al (2000) and Yin (2003), the importance of a
Di Bailey
Reader in Social Work, University of Durham and Social Care Lead for the Mental Health Research Network in England
The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Volume 2 Issue 3 November 2007 © Pavilion Journals (Brighton) Ltd
To continue reading
Request your trial