An evaluation of mandated joint working in mental health services in two sites in England

Williams, Timothy David (2019). An evaluation of mandated joint working in mental health services in two sites in England. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This study explores the processes of joint working in mental health services, mandated by statute or regulation, between local organisations. The interest in doing so lies in examining the apparent contradiction of using compulsion to stimulate avowedly voluntary activity. A bespoke realist approach, aligning critical realism and aspects of realist evaluation, provided the framework for the study of examples of mandated joint working in two differing sites- aftercare (Section 117, Mental Health Act 1983), delayed transfers of care and the use of police powers (Section 136, Mental Health Act 1983). Nested case studies enabled comparison between two groups of organisations within and across the sites. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations and documentary analysis. Differences in implementation of these examples were found between the two sites, which stemmed from the relationships between processes and the contexts in which they were set. The study shows that mandating joint working can be necessary and productive. The study recommends that attention could be usefully given to the governance of complexity and of organisational and professional difference and, more specifically, to the circumstances of people in emotional distress.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

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