Exploring Service User experiences of Mental Health Act assessments
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring Service User experiences of Mental Health Act assessment
IRAS ID
195549
Contact name
Louise J Blakley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
This is an in- depth research study that is funded over six months and will explore the service user experience of being assessed under the Mental Health Act 1983(as amended 2007)(MHA). It has been developed by a research team of professionals and service users with lived experience of being assessed.
The research project will look at the assessment stage when professional decide whether to admit to psychiatric hospital against a person’s will through interviewing the service user and collecting information about all the circumstances. Being assessed and formally detained under the MHA are some of the most coercive civil processes within mental health services as it can mean the removal a person’s liberty. This assessment process has been criticised for being focused on legal and practical issues rather than the service user perspective. Due to a lack of comprehensive studies of service users’ experiences of assessments, there is limited information to improve service users’ involvement and professional practice in this area.
Methodology- The methodological approach will be Phenomenological as this captures the lived experience. Data collection method will be a single semi-structured qualitative interview with service users who have experienced a MHA assessment in last two years. From these interviews, themes will be identified through thematic analysis.
Results and dissemination -as this an exploratory project, the results are unknown. A dissemination workshop will be organised to discuss the results of this study with service users (participants will be invited), local professionals and service managers. The research team will also write articles and present findings at conferences.REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/SC/0066
Date of REC Opinion
4 Mar 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion