SC DMH Client Advocacy Report April 2015

The Client Advocacy Office at the South Carolina Department of Mental Health publishes a monthly report with information on complaints resolved at agency centers and other statistics on the Client Advocacy Office.

SC DMH Client Advocacy Report May 2015

The Client Advocacy Office at the South Carolina Department of Mental Health publishes a monthly report with information on complaints resolved at agency centers and other statistics on the Client Advocacy Office.

SC DMH Client Advocacy Report June 2015

The Client Advocacy Office at the South Carolina Department of Mental Health publishes a monthly report with information on complaints resolved at agency centers and other statistics on the Client Advocacy Office.

SC DMH Client Advocacy Report July 2015

The Client Advocacy Office at the South Carolina Department of Mental Health publishes a monthly report with information on complaints resolved at agency centers and other statistics on the Client Advocacy Office.

SC DMH Client Advocacy Report August 2015

The Client Advocacy Office at the South Carolina Department of Mental Health publishes a monthly report with information on complaints resolved at agency centers and other statistics on the Client Advocacy Office.

SC DMH Client Advocacy Report September 2015

The Client Advocacy Office at the South Carolina Department of Mental Health publishes a monthly report with information on complaints resolved at agency centers and other statistics on the Client Advocacy Office.

SC DMH Client Advocacy Report October 2015

The Client Advocacy Office at the South Carolina Department of Mental Health publishes a monthly report with information on complaints resolved at agency centers and other statistics on the Client Advocacy Office.

SC DMH Client Advocacy Report November 2015

The Client Advocacy Office at the South Carolina Department of Mental Health publishes a monthly report with information on complaints resolved at agency centers and other statistics on the Client Advocacy Office.

SC DMH Client Advocacy Report December 2015

The Client Advocacy Office at the South Carolina Department of Mental Health publishes a monthly report with information on complaints resolved at agency centers and other statistics on the Client Advocacy Office.

SC DMH Client Advocacy Report January 2016

The Client Advocacy Office at the South Carolina Department of Mental Health publishes a monthly report with information on complaints resolved at agency centers and other statistics on the Client Advocacy Office.

SC DMH Client Advocacy Report February 2016

The Client Advocacy Office at the South Carolina Department of Mental Health publishes a monthly report with information on complaints resolved at agency centers and other statistics on the Client Advocacy Office.

Time to change consumer involvement in nursing research

The experiences of people affected by cancer are at the very heart of nursing research efforts. Because much of our work is focused on understanding how to improve experiences and outcomes for people with cancer, it is easy for us to believe that our research is inherently "person centered" and thus collaborative. Let's reflect on what truly collaborative approaches to cancer nursing research could be like, and how we measure up to such goals. Collaboration between people affected by cancer (consumers) and nurses in research is much more than providing a voice for individuals as participants in a research study. Today, research governing bodies in many countries require us to seek a different kind of consumer participation, where consumers and researchers work in partnership with one another to shape decisions about research priorities, policies, and practices.1 Most granting bodies now require explanations of how consumer and community participation will occur within a study. Ethical imperatives and the concept of patient advocacy also require that we give more considered attention to what is meant by consumer involvement.2 Consumers provide perspective on what will be relevant, acceptable, feasible, and sensitive research, having lived the experience of cancer. As a result, they offer practical insights that can ensure the successful conduct and better outcomes from research. Some granting bodies now even allocate a proportion of final score or assign a "public value" weighting for a grant, to recognize the importance of consumer involvement and reflect the quality of patient involvement in all stages of the research process.3

Mediating conflict and control : practice challenges for nurses working in palliative care

A work-based professional development program was offered to a group of registered nurses working in palliative care. The goal of the program was to improve skills in psychosocial care (Yates et al., 1996). Participants were encouraged to reflect critically on their practice experience within a group setting. The focus of the group discussion and reflection were shared practice incidents. Each participant was given the opportunity to identify and describe an incident from their professional practice that presented a challenging issue within palliative nursing. This paper explores the themes of conflict and control, evident within the collection of fifteen practice incidents and discusses the nurses role as mediator. The concepts of patient advocacy and professional autonomy are challenged through the nurses experience of providing care within a hierarchical and bureaucratic health service. The outcome of reflection for the organization is most effective when shared experience and collective action (rather than individual practice) are the focus.

Celebrating a partnership for the benefit of patients

In today’s NHS culture, commissioners are increasingly looking to the third sector for innovation and excellence in healthcare delivery. Opportunities for organisations within this sector to form fruitful and lasting partnerships have also grown.

‘Stakeholders’ views of legal and advice services for people admitted to psychiatric hospital’

This paper describes a study that used a mixed method approach to elicit the views of a range of stakeholders about experiences of compulsory admission to psychiatric hospital, and the use of the Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT). The paper begins with an introduction to the background of the study, one that took place in Northern Ireland, a region in the UK with its own mental health legislation and policy. A review of literature is then presented. This highlights some of the disadvantages that service users and carers face when dealing with professionals during and following compulsory admission to hospital. This section concludes with an overview of literature on the MHRT in the UK. A range of methods was used to gather data from the following stakeholders: five service user and carer focus group interviews (n = 44); interviews with four lawyers experienced in Tribunal work; an interview with a legal member of the Tribunal; a survey of solicitors who identified themselves as equipped to carry out Tribunal work; interviews with three managers of organisations that provided patient advocacy services; letters to hospital managers requesting information provided to patients and carers. The findings reveal a number of themes associated with these experiences of compulsory admission to hospital and subsequent use of the Tribunal. Service users and carers generally found it difficult to access relevant information about rights, information provided by hospital managers was uneven and lawyers were often not familiar with processes associated with compulsory admission. There was a range of views about the Tribunal. Most respondents felt that the Tribunal was necessary and mostly satisfactory in the way it carried out its functions, but stakeholders raised a number of issues. Carers in particular felt that they should be more involved in decision-making processes, whereas lawyers tended to be focused on more technical, legal issues. Problems of regrading prior to the Tribunal and in examining medical evidence were highlighted by lawyers. There was an appeal for better information and advice by service users and carers, and recognition of the need for better training and education for lawyers. The paper concludes with a brief discussion about current mental health law in the UK, arguing that, in this context, professionals should more proactively use information and advice that can enable service users and carers to defend their rights. Keywords: compulsory mental health; law; legal and advice services