Experiences of service users admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit
Research type
Research Study
Full title
What are the experiences of service users following a clinical decision to admit them to an inpatient psychiatric ward in Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust?
IRAS ID
242285
Contact name
Rajan (Taj) Nathan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
This is a small-scale study of the experiences of people admitted to acute inpatient wards in a single mental health Trust. The views of a sample of around 20 such service users will be sought, who will be involved in semi-structured interviews. The study aims to gain information and understating about the perceptions and experiences of service users after a decision has been made to admit them to an inpatient psychiatric ward. The findings may help improve decision making by mental health professionals when deciding whether to admit a patient. This should in turn improve outcomes and care for service users.
Service users may experience numerous care episodes and transitions into and out of hospital. There is evidence that despite needs for crisis care and support, many service users are dissatisfied with their inpatient admissions. As there is the potential for these encounters to have a lasting effect, the importance of ensuring service users have a voice in what is happening to them is crucial in enhancing their experience. An earlier study showed that patients in psychiatric hospitals and their relatives experienced indignity. It concluded staff members seem not to give enough attention to the importance of small, but important, things to the detriment of service users. Staff members need to be aware of this and expand their own understanding of dignity and its possible influence on a service user's experiences and recovery.
There is a need for a better understanding of how service users experience the admission process, the extent to which they feel they are actively involved in relevant decisions, and how they relate this to a sense of recovery.
This project is being performed as part of an internship supported by the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care North West Coast.REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NW/0602
Date of REC Opinion
13 Sep 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion