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Editorial

Editorial Christina Pond Director of Standards and Qualifications, Skills for Health Following the recent formation of the new government the coalition agreement clearly describes their aims for an NHS free from political micromanagement, with increased democratic participation and greater accountability to patients. It is believed that this approach will ‘drive up standards, support professional responsibility, deliver better value for money and create a healthier nation’. These aims are underpinned by a commitment to increased patient choice and involvement in decisionmaking, and access to a broader range of healthcare providers including those in the independent and voluntary sectors. There is also a commitment to break down the barriers between health and social care with a greater roll out of personal health budgets and direct payments. Taken together, these initiatives signal a different context for the relationship between providers and those in receipt of services, whether they are service users or carers. They also represent significant opportunities for workforce development to allow for new ways of working, indicating a need for greater flexibility of roles and a shift in traditional models of care. The need for training and development remains of central importance to delivery, a challenge in itself given the current climate of increasing financial pressure – the recurring experience of budgets for continuing development often being the first to be reduced. This issue presents a number of stimulating papers that deal with a breadth of innovative approaches very relevant to this agenda. Articles by Odro and colleagues and El-Sayeh and colleagues focus on the student learner. Odro and colleagues consider the transition from the role of student to qualified practitioner, and how to support this process, dealing with the often felt tension between theory and its application in practice. El Sayeh and colleagues look at an approach that encourages medical students to consider careers in psychiatry in preference to other branches of medicine. The papers by Parker and Fadden and colleagues discuss the need for mental health professionals to develop or extend their roles in order to support new models of service delivery. Both examine the necessity of undertaking additional training and explore the nature of this and the impact that this has on the individual. Finally Rachael and colleagues consider a new model of care exploring the factors that influence service user engagement within a framework of increased choice. Underpinning all of these articles is an understanding of the need to constantly re-examine and refresh our approach to the design of services and to understand the workforce skills and competences required to achieve this. The learning from the various studies described in this edition of the journal will offer valuable insights into the continual challenge of ensuring staff and services that are fit for purpose and equipped to meet political and public expectation. 10.5042/jmhtep.2010.0359 The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Volume 5 Issue 2 June 2010 © Pier Professional Ltd http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Pier Professional

Editorial

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Publisher
Pier Professional
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 by Pier Professional Limited
ISSN
1755-6228
eISSN
2042-8707
DOI
10.5042/jmhtep.2010.0359
Publisher site
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Abstract

Christina Pond Director of Standards and Qualifications, Skills for Health Following the recent formation of the new government the coalition agreement clearly describes their aims for an NHS free from political micromanagement, with increased democratic participation and greater accountability to patients. It is believed that this approach will ‘drive up standards, support professional responsibility, deliver better value for money and create a healthier nation’. These aims are underpinned by a commitment to increased patient choice and involvement in decisionmaking, and access to a broader range of healthcare providers including those in the independent and voluntary sectors. There is also a commitment to break down the barriers between health and social care with a greater roll out of personal health budgets and direct payments. Taken together, these initiatives signal a different context for the relationship between providers and those in receipt of services, whether they are service users or carers. They also represent significant opportunities for workforce development to allow for new ways of working, indicating a need for greater flexibility of roles and a shift in traditional models of care. The need for training and development remains of central importance to delivery, a challenge in itself given the current climate of increasing financial pressure – the recurring experience of budgets for continuing development often being the first to be reduced. This issue presents a number of stimulating papers that deal with a breadth of innovative approaches very relevant to this agenda. Articles by Odro and colleagues and El-Sayeh and colleagues focus on the student learner. Odro and colleagues consider the transition from the role of student to qualified practitioner, and how to support this process, dealing with the often felt tension between theory and its application in practice. El Sayeh and colleagues look at an approach that encourages medical students to consider careers in psychiatry in preference to other branches of medicine. The papers by Parker and Fadden and colleagues discuss the need for mental health professionals to develop or extend their roles in order to support new models of service delivery. Both examine the necessity of undertaking additional training and explore the nature of this and the impact that this has on the individual. Finally Rachael and colleagues consider a new model of care exploring the factors that influence service user engagement within a framework of increased choice. Underpinning all of these articles is an understanding of the need to constantly re-examine and refresh our approach to the design of services and to understand the workforce skills and competences required to achieve this. The learning from the various studies described in this edition of the journal will offer valuable insights into the continual challenge of ensuring staff and services that are fit for purpose and equipped to meet political and public expectation. 10.5042/jmhtep.2010.0359 The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Volume 5 Issue 2 June 2010 © Pier Professional Ltd

Journal

The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice – Pier Professional

Published: Jun 1, 2010

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