STUDENT EDUCATION FEATURE with community organisations to some extent , by collecting leaflets on the services they provide .
However , when I was looking through these resources it was evident that the information collected was out of date , no longer accurate and there was no variety in recreational groups .
Among the leaflets , I found a map created by Oxfordshire Youth ( 2019 ) that listed a range of organisations providing activities and support for young people across the county .
The occupational therapists commented that , even though they had some resources to get started , lack of time for research and communication with community services , due to significant pressure as a result of the increasing needs of young people experiencing mental health illness , were preventing them from proceeding .
Following up on the information they had collected , I used the Oxfordshire Youth map as a starting point and completed a service improvement project , collecting information on a wide range of community services and organisations in Oxfordshire .
I contacted organisations based on the target age group and relevance of services for young people at the unit . Initial contact was made via a telephone call , and a follow up email , telephone call , online meeting , or visit was then arranged to gather further information .
These were then entered into an Excel spreadsheet , which included links to referral forms , contact information , description of services provided , age group targeted and location etc , and individual digital folders were created with leaflets and further information .
Collaborating with organisations that offer a variety of different services , such as recreational activities , educational opportunities , and vocational training , was also very important for client-centred practice , as they could be matched to the interests , abilities and needs of young people ( COT 2015a ; COT 2017 ).
Adopting a person-centred approach and gaining a holistic view of the patient would increase positive experience and overall treatment outcomes ( Santana et al 2017 ).
Barriers to implementation Although literature shows benefits of community re-engagement on the recovery of young people with mental health needs , communicating with organisations for my project revealed some major barriers and uncertainty around this being fully implemented .
While organisations supporting vulnerable young people only seemed to have the resources and experience in mental health to engage them in their services effectively , certain organisations said that they were reluctant to take on a young person with acute mental health needs following discharge from an inpatient unit , due to lack of resources and training .
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ( NICE ) ( 2016 ) suggests that statutory services work together with local communities and community and voluntary sector organisations to plan , develop , deliver and evaluate health and wellbeing initiatives .
The link between those organisations could be made by bridging roles , which would also determine what type of communication would most effectively help to get people involved .
Other barriers to community re-engagement were identified as the current national restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic , long waiting lists for access to community services , and capacity of how many young people can sign-up for a service at any one time .
The logistics of community re-engagement , such as location of services , could limit the occupational therapists ’ ability to further implement this project . This is because establishing links and collaborating with organisations in Oxfordshire would benefit young people living in the county , but not those admitted to the unit from other counties , as the occupational therapists would not have links with those young people ’ s local communities and so a referral would not be made .
Time availability would also contribute to this . However , a recommendation could be made for community care teams to follow this up and refer young people to recommended community groups .
Nevertheless , after I presented the completed service improvement resources , occupational therapists at the unit said it was a ‘ user friendly and thorough ’ project that would be ‘ incredibly helpful to use and support our young people in further improving their overall health and wellbeing ’.
The resources I created have been shared with the multidisciplinary team , as well as community child and adolescent mental health services teams and social services , to help improve wider delivery of services to young people and adolescents in Oxfordshire .
References
Green B and Johnson C ( 2015 ) ‘ Interprofessional collaboration in research , education , and clinical practice : working together for a better future ’, The Journal of Chiropractic Education , 29 ( 1 ). DOI :
10.7899 / JCE-14-36
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ( NICE ) ( 2016 ) Community engagement : improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities . Available online at :
www . nice . org . uk / guidance / ng44 [ accessed 27 November 2020 ]
Artemis Iordanidou , final year occupational therapy student , Oxford Brookes University
OTnews December 2021 49