Consultants’ role in mental health services
Financial pressures result in a push towards reducing consultant numbers in mental health service provision. The loss of other members of the mental health team leads to increased pressure on the psychiatrist workforce, and consultant burnout. This in turn affects trainee experience and leads to trainee disaffection, resulting in further recruitment issues, and low retention of consultants and migration of trainees. The idea of peer-support workers is based on the idea that people who have similar experiences can better relate and consequently offer more authentic empathy and validation.
Proposed workforce impact
- Changing roles of mental health professionals
- Increased demand for leadership training
- Increased demand for specialists
- Increased pressures on the whole mental health workforce
- Greater role of peer support workers in inter-disciplinary teams
Sources or references
- Jaques, (2011), Moving towards consultant-delivered care. BMJ Careers, Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, (2012), The benefits of consultant-delivered care.
- Repper and Carter, (2011), A review of the literature on peer support in mental health services, J Mental Health, 20, 4, 392-411.
Additional research questions
- Is sufficient training and support in place to provide this model of service delivery?
Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.
