What should community mental health workers do? Experience in an inner city support team

Abstract

In 1979 a survey of Hackney's psychiatric in-patients revealed that many were resident simply because there was nowhere else for them to go. (Lomas, 1979). As a response to this, the Community Psychiatry Research Unit (CPRU) was set up, and a team of support workers appointed (from nursing, social work and occupational therapy backgrounds) to assist in re-housing and to provide continuing care. Developing projects have meant that the role and job description of this support team have constantly changed. To review their present role, we decided to assess the day-to-day activities of three workers so as to improve our understanding of their function, training needs and work load. Details of the assessment criteria for taking on patients have been outlined by Rich et al (1989).