Abstract
Objective: To explore how mental health trusts in England adapted and responded to the challenges posed by the
COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim of identifying lessons that can be learned during and beyond the pandemic.
Methods: Following a scoping study, we undertook 52 semi-structured interviews with senior managers, clinicians, patient
representatives and commissioning staff across four case study sites. These sites varied in size, location and grading awarded
by a national regulatory body. We explored how services have been repurposed and reorganized in response to the
pandemic and the participants’ perceptions of the impact of these changes on quality of care and the wellbeing of staff.
Results: Mental health trusts have shown great flexibility and resilience in rapidly implementing new models of care and
developing creative digital solutions at speed. New collaborative arrangements have been stimulated by a shared sense of
urgency and enabled by additional funding and a more permissive policy environment. But there has also been a significant
negative impact on the wellbeing of staff, particularly those staff from a minority ethnic background. Also, there were
concerns that digital technology could effectively disenfranchise some vulnerable groups and exacerbate existing health
inequalities.
Conclusions: Many of the service changes and digital innovations undertaken during the pandemic appear promising.
Nevertheless, those changes need to be urgently and rigorously appraised to assure their effectiveness and to assess their
impact on social exclusion and health inequalities.
COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim of identifying lessons that can be learned during and beyond the pandemic.
Methods: Following a scoping study, we undertook 52 semi-structured interviews with senior managers, clinicians, patient
representatives and commissioning staff across four case study sites. These sites varied in size, location and grading awarded
by a national regulatory body. We explored how services have been repurposed and reorganized in response to the
pandemic and the participants’ perceptions of the impact of these changes on quality of care and the wellbeing of staff.
Results: Mental health trusts have shown great flexibility and resilience in rapidly implementing new models of care and
developing creative digital solutions at speed. New collaborative arrangements have been stimulated by a shared sense of
urgency and enabled by additional funding and a more permissive policy environment. But there has also been a significant
negative impact on the wellbeing of staff, particularly those staff from a minority ethnic background. Also, there were
concerns that digital technology could effectively disenfranchise some vulnerable groups and exacerbate existing health
inequalities.
Conclusions: Many of the service changes and digital innovations undertaken during the pandemic appear promising.
Nevertheless, those changes need to be urgently and rigorously appraised to assure their effectiveness and to assess their
impact on social exclusion and health inequalities.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Journal of Health Services Research & Policy |
Early online date | 8 Aug 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 8 Aug 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The study on which this article is based was funded by The Health Foundation.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022.
Keywords
- COVID-19
- digital technology
- mental health services
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Health Policy