Communities
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12904/156
2024-03-29T07:04:51Z
2024-03-29T07:04:51Z
The social worker in community mental health teams: Findings from a national survey
Hughes, Jane
Challis, David
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12904/14697
2023-10-06T08:44:50Z
2021-01-01T00:00:00Z
The social worker in community mental health teams: Findings from a national survey
Hughes, Jane; Challis, David
Summary: Social workers have been members of community mental health teams (CMHTs) for many years. However, a combination of factors has resulted in their removal from CMHTs in some areas in recent years. This study presents findings from a 2018 national survey of CMHT team managers (44% response rate), to ascertain the current position of the social worker within CMHTs in England. Analyses focussed on membership, roles and tasks, and change within the previous 12 months. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data and content analysis to interpret free text comments. Findings: Social workers were found to undertake a variety of generic roles and tasks but were reported to do so proportionally less often than nurses. A large minority were involved in non-traditional social work tasks such as monitoring medication. In one-fifth of teams, managers thought they had too few social workers. Free text comments suggested that managers valued social workers for their social perspective and expressed concern regarding their removal or the curtailment of their role, perceiving this as having a negative effect on overall CMHT service delivery. Applications: The findings provide evidence of some instability in the position of social workers within CMHTs in relation to both their membership and their involvement in traditional and non-traditional roles and tasks. Free text comments suggest that if a biopsychosocial model of mental health support, now recognised as essential to long-term wellbeing, is to be achieved, a social work presence in CMHTs is required. © The Author(s) 2021.
2021-01-01T00:00:00Z
Community Occupational Therapy for people with dementia and family carers (COTiD-UK) versus treatment as usual (Valuing Active Life in Dementia [VALID]) study: A single-blind, randomised controlled trial
Challis, David
Orrell, Martin
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12904/8080
2021-06-14T09:30:51Z
2021-01-01T00:00:00Z
Community Occupational Therapy for people with dementia and family carers (COTiD-UK) versus treatment as usual (Valuing Active Life in Dementia [VALID]) study: A single-blind, randomised controlled trial
Challis, David; Orrell, Martin
Background: We aimed to estimate the clinical effectiveness of Community Occupational Therapy for people with dementia and family carers-UK version (Community Occupational Therapy in Dementia-UK version [COTiD-UK]) relative to treatment as usual (TAU). We hypothesised that COTiD-UK would improve the ability of people with dementia to perform activities of daily living (ADL), and family carers' sense of competence, compared with TAU.Methods and Findings: The study design was a multicentre, 2-arm, parallel-group, assessor-masked, individually randomised controlled trial (RCT) with internal pilot. It was conducted in 15 sites across England from September 2014 to January 2018. People with a diagnosis of mild to moderate dementia living in their own home were recruited in pairs with a family carer who provided domestic or personal support for at least 4 hours per week. Pairs were randomised to either receive COTiD-UK, which comprised 10 hours of occupational therapy delivered over 10 weeks in the person with dementia's home or TAU, which comprised the usual local service provision that may or may not include standard occupational therapy. The primary outcome was the Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale (BADLS) score at 26 weeks. Secondary outcomes for the person with dementia included the following: the BADLS scores at 52 and 78 weeks, cognition, quality of life, and mood; and for the family carer: sense of competence and mood; plus the number of social contacts and leisure activities for both partners. Participants were analysed by treatment allocated. A total of 468 pairs were recruited: people with dementia ranged from 55 to 97 years with a mean age of 78.6 and family carers ranged from 29 to 94 with a mean of 69.1 years. Of the people with dementia, 74.8% were married and 19.2% lived alone. Of the family carers, 72.6% were spouses, and 22.2% were adult children. On randomisation, 249 pairs were assigned to COTiD-UK (62% people with dementia and 23% carers were male) and 219 to TAU (52% people with dementia and 32% carers were male). At the 26 weeks follow-up, data were available for 364 pairs (77.8%). The BADLS score at 26 weeks did not differ significantly between groups (adjusted mean difference estimate 0.35, 95% CI -0.81 to 1.51; p = 0.55). Secondary outcomes did not differ between the groups. In total, 91% of the activity-based goals set by the pairs taking part in the COTiD-UK intervention were fully or partially achieved by the final COTiD-UK session. Study limitations include the following: Intervention fidelity was moderate but varied across and within sites, and the reliance on primarily proxy data focused on measuring the level of functional or cognitive impairment which may not truly reflect the actual performance and views of the person living with dementia.Conclusions: Providing community occupational therapy as delivered in this study did not improve ADL performance, cognition, quality of life, or mood in people with dementia nor sense of competence or mood in family carers. Future research should consider measuring person-centred outcomes that are more meaningful and closely aligned to participants' priorities, such as goal achievement or the quantity and quality of activity engagement and participation.Trial Registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN10748953.
2021-01-01T00:00:00Z
Taking part in the community occupational therapy in dementia UK intervention from the perspective of people with dementia, family carers and occupational therapists: A qualitative study
Orrell, Martin
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12904/8070
2021-09-13T08:54:15Z
2020-01-01T00:00:00Z
Taking part in the community occupational therapy in dementia UK intervention from the perspective of people with dementia, family carers and occupational therapists: A qualitative study
Orrell, Martin
AIMCommunity Occupational Therapy in Dementia (COTiD-UK) is a manualised intervention delivered to the person with dementia and their identified family carer primarily in their own home. The focus is on enabling both the person with dementia and their family carer to engage in personally meaningful activities. This qualitative study examines the experiences of people with mild to moderate dementia, their family carers and occupational therapists, of taking part in the COTiD-UK intervention.METHODA purposive sample of 22 pairs of people with dementia and a family carer and seven occupational therapists took part in semi-structured interviews that were audio recorded, transcribed and inductively analysed using thematic analysis.FINDINGSThemes from the occupational therapist interviews relate to the COTiD-UK intervention philosophy and content, aspects of delivering it in practice and thinking ahead to it becoming usual practice. Themes from the pair interviews relate to the focus of COTiD-UK sessions on meaningful occupation and working together and a sense of being able to plan to live well with dementia in the short- and longer-term as a result of the intervention.CONCLUSIONThis person-centred occupation-focussed intervention was highly valued by people with dementia and their family carers and the occupational therapists delivering it.
2020-01-01T00:00:00Z
Chronic enterocutaneous fistula: management in the community setting
Anders, Tessa
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12904/10464
2023-11-15T12:22:21Z
2020-01-01T00:00:00Z
Chronic enterocutaneous fistula: management in the community setting
Anders, Tessa
Despite being aggravating and potentially embarrassing, enterocutaneous fistulas can be successfully managed, with patients being able to resume many of their normal daily activities while the fistula continues to drain. Nevertheless, the management of enterocutaneous fistulas in the community can pose many challenges to nurses, the most common being peri-fistula moisture-associated skin damage. This article presents fistula management plans, which can facilitate the long-term support of these patients, promoting patient comfort and adherence to treatment.
2020-01-01T00:00:00Z