Experiences of transfer between child and adolescent psychiatry teams
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Service users’ experiences of being transferred from a Crisis Team to a Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Team
IRAS ID
210630
Contact name
Georgina Griffiths
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 1 days
Research summary
The British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Surveys performed in 1999 and 2004 found that 10% of 5-15 year olds have a clinically diagnosable mental health disorder. Child and Adolescent Crisis Teams are therefore a vital component of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Typically following the resolution of an acute psychiatric episode, community psychiatry services take over care from the Crisis team. It is important to explore the transfer between the Crisis Team and Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Team (CAMHT) as previous studies that have examined the transition between child and adult psychiatry services, show that poor transitions can disrupt care and cause disengagement from services.
The aim of this study is to explore CAMHS service users’ experiences of being transferred from a Crisis Team to a Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Team, in order to gain insight into their opinions and identify potential areas for service improvement. Qualitative methods will be used to answer the study question, which will involve 10-20 semi-structured interviews being carried out with service users who are a month post-transfer. Participants will be excluded if they are lacking capacity to consent, have poor English Language proficiency of if they are less than 13 years of age.
The interviews will be carried out at patients' homes (if appropriate) or community mental health centres. Each interview will last for approximately 60 minutes. Interviews will be conducted by the chief researcher, or a member of the Barnado’s charity ‘Helping Young people to Engage’ research team. Data collection should take 4-5 months. The interviews will be audio-recorded, fully transcribed and analysed thematically. Recommendations for service provision will be drawn from the relationships and patterns that are identified, which will then be shared with CAMHS service providers.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NW/0018
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jan 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion