Breaking down barriers to accessing mental health support services ‐ a qualitative study among young South Asian and African‐Caribbean communities in Luton

How do Black Caribbean-born Women Living in the UK Construct Their Experience of Retirement? A Discursive Psychology Analysis

The present research explores Caribbean-born women's constructions of retirement. Eight participants (self-identified as retired) were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. Data were obtained using individual semi-structured interviews and analyzed using discursive psychology. Findings center around a discussion of the negotiating difference discourses. This construction consists of two sub-creations: work and retirement, and home. Both creations present participants engaging in a process of negotiation to merge the life they once knew with their retirement experience. Implications for participants and the construction of retirement are considered, and suggestions put forward for future research and for clinicians working with the studied population.

Barriers and facilitators to using NHS Direct: a qualitative study of 'users' and 'non-users'

BACKGROUND

NHS Direct, introduced in 1998, has provided 24/7 telephone-based healthcare advice and information to the public in England and Wales. National studies have suggested variation in the uptake of this service amongst the UK's diverse population. This study provides the first exploration of the barriers and facilitators that impact upon the uptake of this service from the perspectives of both 'users' and 'non- users'.

METHODS

Focus groups were held with NHS Direct 'users' (N = 2) from Bedfordshire alongside 'non-users' from Manchester (N = 3) and Mendip, Somerset (N = 4). Each focus group had between five to eight participants. A total of eighty one people aged between 21 and 94 years old (M: 58.90, SD: 22.70) took part in this research. Each focus group discussion lasted approximately 90 minutes and was audiotape-recorded with participants' permission. The recordings were transcribed verbatim. A framework approach was used to analyse the transcripts.

RESULTS

The findings from this research uncovered a range of barriers and facilitators that impact upon the uptake of NHS Direct. 'Non-users' were unaware of the range of services that NHS Direct provided. Furthermore, 'non-users' highlighted a preference for face-to face communication, identifying a lack of confidence in discussing healthcare over the telephone. This was particularly evident among older people with cognitive difficulties. The cost to telephone a '0845' number from a mobile was also viewed to be a barrier to access NHS Direct, expressed more often by 'non-users' from deprived communities. NHS Direct 'users' identified that awareness, ease of use and convenience were facilitators which influenced their decision to use the service.

CONCLUSIONS

An understanding of the barriers and facilitators which impact on the access and uptake of telephone-based healthcare is essential to move patients towards the self-care model. This research has highlighted the need for telephone-based healthcare services to increase public awareness; through the delivery of more targeted advertising to promote the service provision available.

Young people's views of UK mental health services

AIMS AND METHOD

Adolescence is the period of highest risk for the development of mental illness, but also the age group least likely to seek help from mental health services. We undertook a systematic review of the published literature on the views of young people of mental health services in the UK and a thematic analysis of the findings to explore the reasons behind this to guide those developing services for young people.

RESULTS

Thirty-one studies were identified, which captured the views of 13 605 young people including 625 young people who had experience of mental health services. Positive views to emerge were of qualities of mental health workers and encouraging self-reliance. Negative views were of stigma, lack of information, medicalization of their problems and a lack of continuity of care.

CONCLUSIONS

Young people have consistent views of the positive and negative aspects of mental health services, which could be helpfully incorporated in the design of services. The views of some groups of young people have not been well represented, however, and the views of minority ethnic groups and those who have disengaged from services in particular need to be actively sought.