Working in Mental Health : Practice and Policy in a Changing Environment

A paradigm shift in the ways in which mental health services are delivered is happening―both for service users and for professional mental healthcare workers. The landscape is being changed by a more influential service user movement, a range of new community-based mental healthcare programmes delivered by an increasing plurality of providers, and new mental health policy and legislation.

Written by a team of experienced authors and drawing on their expertise in policy and clinical leadership, Working in Mental Health: Practice and Policy in a Changing Environment explains how mental health services staff can operate and contribute in this new environment. Divided into three parts, the first focuses on the socio-political environment, incorporating service user perspectives. The second section looks at current themes and ways of working in mental health. It includes chapters on recovery, the IAPT programme, and mental healthcare for specific vulnerable populations. The final part explores new and future challenges, such as changing professional roles and commissioning services. The book focuses throughout on the importance of public health approaches to mental healthcare.

This important text will be of interest to all those studying and working in mental healthcare, whether from a nursing, medical, social work or allied health background.

Peter Phillips is Senior Lecturer in Addiction at City University London and Honorary Lecturer in Social and Community Mental Health at University College London.

Tom Sandford is Executive Director of services across England for the Royal College of Nursing. His previous roles in the organisation include five years as a mental health policy adviser and three years as London Regional Director.

Claire Johnston is the Director of Nursing for Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health and substance misuse services in central London.