Care Programming in Mental Health: assimilation and adaptation

Correspondence to Justine Schneider. PSSRU. University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NF. Summary Two years after the care programme approach in mental healthwas introduced there is still widespread confusion about itsmeaning and its relation to other changes in the arena of communitycare. This paper looks at how care programmes are being implementedand at whom they are being targeted. It also examines the relationbetween care management and care programming and raises somequestions about future developments in the light of communitycare reforms. It draws on data collected during 1992 from threecontrasting health districts, all of which had made considerableprogress in care programming. Sixty practitioners were interviewedabout the theory and practice of care programming. Their experienceis presented here in the context of a review of community careplans for 1992/93 which characterizes the responses of differentlocal authorities to the approach.     

Visitors' Views on Residental Homes

Correspondence should be addressed to Justine Schneider, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Applied Social Studies, University of Durham, 15 Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HL, UK. Email: Justine.Schneider{at}durham.ac.uk Summary Relatives and other people who visit residential care homeshave an opportunity to formulate their own views about the qualityof care, often over a considerable period of time. They maybe experienced in providing care themselves, and many have beenthe principal carer before admission of the resident. They canbe decision makers in purchasing care, and their preferenceswill therefore influence the market. Finally, through theirfrequent attendance, they too form part of the environment ofa home. This paper reports the findings of a survey of 228 visitorsto 17 residential care homes throughout England. It shows whothe visitors were, what they did, their likes, dislikes andideas for improvements. It summarizes what aspects were mostimportant to visitors, many of whom were former carers; thishas implications for purchasers and providers of residentialcare. It closes with a methodological discussion about how thevaluable views of visitors may be tapped without encounteringreticence due to guilt or fear of retribution affecting theresident.