What would a socially inclusive service look like?

The previous chapter illustrated the significant implications of recoveryoriented mental health services for partnership working with service users (Care Services Improvement Partnership, 2005). This approach encourages psychiatrists and other mental health professionals to move from a traditional compliance relationship to one of collaboration where there is negotiation in agreeing specific treatments, interventions and all other aspects of the care plan and risk assessment with service users, recognising there are two experts working in partnership, the patient and the clinician (Deegan & Drake, 2006).

Good practice also includes meaningful service user involvement in various aspects of mental health service planning since the direction taken in any new or continuing project will have an impact on the users of the services, and service users know how the system is working rather than how it is thought to be working. Support for this comes from NICE (2005):

Although it is recognised that there is no such thing as ‘the’ service user view, service user input can be considered on a continuum of involvement, from user-led to collaborative and consultative. Different approaches have been used successfully to involve service users in service planning and delivery: participation in focus groups; representing users on local borough committees, on trust and health authority committees and on project teams or planning groups; training professionals; being involved in staff recruitment; being active members of mental health charities; acting as research consultants; undertaking paid work within the health system; leading projects such as user-focused monitoring, which is probably the gold standard in this area. Carers also have a similar role to play in the planning of services.