Evaluation of a Violence Reduction Programme in Acute Mental Health
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Process Evaluation of "4 Steps to Safety", a programme to reduce violence on acute mental health inpatient wards.
IRAS ID
195065
Contact name
Diana Rose
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Violence and aggression present a serious problem to both service users and staff within inpatient psychiatric units. In the UK, a National Audit of Violence found that a third of service users in inpatient psychiatric units had been threatened or made to feel unsafe while in care. The same Audit reported that 44% of clinical staff overall and 72% of nursing staff specifically had experienced feeling unsafe whilst working in such units.
A Quality Improvement programme has been developed that aims to reduce the incidence of violence in two Mental Health NHS Trusts. Known as '4 steps to safety', the programme will be implemented in all wards and the current application is for an evaluation of the programme . The main aims of the evaluation are to i) describe and analyse critically how the Quality Improvement programme is implemented, and whether it is implemented as planned or with what adaptations, ii) identify the factors that interact and influence the implementation and adoption of the programme, and are likely to contribute to programme success, and c) explore and understand the diverse and complex environments (contexts) within which the programme is implemented. The evaluation will use an ethnographic research design and multiple methods of data collection, such as ethnographic participant observations in a number of inpatient wards, interviews and informal conversations with staff and service users in these wards, interviews with the programme implementation team, as well as examination of documents. It is expected that the evaluation will result in learning and regular feedback which will shape the programme implementation and planning. Most important, the evaluation findings will be crucial when it comes to understanding and interpreting differences in programme effects (outcomes) across the different inpatient units in the two Mental Health Trusts where the programme will be rolled out.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/2105
Date of REC Opinion
28 Jan 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion