Care for people with mental health problems living in the community
This feasibility study, which ran from May 2013 to May 2014, informed the development and evaluation of a new model of care for people with mental health problems living in the community. The overall aims were:
- To help people with mental health problems self-manage and stay safe
- To assist general practice (GP) staff in assessing risks of suicide, self-harm, harm to others, self-neglect and vulnerability, but in a way which was patient-led and which placed least impact on their clinical time
The aims were reached through the use of a web-based decision support system (myGRiST) for assessing a wide range of factors in people’s lives known to affect personal safety and risk. myGRiST was designed for anyone to use for self-assessment – either alone or with the help of carers, family or friends. Users were able to undertake their own detailed assessments in their own time and in privacy, and generate output reports which could then be discussed with their GPs. Conversations with GPs could then be more focussed on the areas of maximum patient concern, but with the benefit of access to a detailed patient history which was stored electronically.
The study was part of a research workstream based on the clinical version of myGRiST. The Galatean Risk and Safety Tool (GRiST) is currently used within the NHS and third sector mental health care provider organisations.
The research team was:
Dr Ann Adams (Principal Investigator)
Dr Christopher Buckingham (Aston University)
Dr Eleni Karasouli
Sponsored by the West Midlands (South) Comprehensive Local Research Network - Arden Cluster Primary Care Trusts - Capacity Fund
