Home > Steps towards effective teamworking in community mental health teams.

Twomey, C and Byrne, M and Leahy, T (2014) Steps towards effective teamworking in community mental health teams. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 31, (1), pp. 51-59. 10.1017/ipm.2013.62.


Objectives: This paper aims to show how effective teamworking can be achieved in Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs), in the context of recovery-focused care. 

Methods: A narrative review of various governmental policy documents and selected papers relevant to teamworking and recovery-focused care within mental health services, in an Irish context.
 
Findings: Effective teamworking within CMHTs is a prerequisite to the provision of quality, recovery-focused care. It requires the management of various environmental (e.g. adopting a ‘recovery’ model of mental health), structural (e.g. sharing of responsibilities and capabilities) and process (e.g. utilising a clear referral pathway) factors that influence teamworking, as CMHTs develop over time.
 
Conclusions: Completion by CMHT members of teamworking and other evaluative measures can assist teams in highlighting potential interventions that may improve recovery-focused team functioning and effectiveness.

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