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The representation of service users’ religious and spiritual concerns in care plans

Julia Walsh (based at Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK)
Wilf McSherry (based at Staffordshire University, Staffordshire, UK)
Peter Kevern (Senior Lecturer based at Staffordshire University, Staffordshire, UK)

Journal of Public Mental Health

ISSN: 1746-5729

Article publication date: 16 September 2013

273

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy with which care plans capture and make use of data on the spiritual and religious concerns of mental health service users in a UK Health and Social Care Trust.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was given to service users (n=71) and the findings compared with the information held on their behalf by the relevant Health and Social Care Trust at three key points in the care planning process.

Findings

The study found that the importance that many service users accorded to spirituality and religion was not reflected in the electronic records, that some information was wrong or wrongly nuanced when compared with the patient's self-description and that service users themselves were often mistaken regarding the type and quality of information held on record.

Practical implications

The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the process of information gathering, to the training and support of Care Coordinators and to the monitoring and revision of Care Plans. The discrepancy between the information supplied by service users and that recorded by the Trust suggests that, despite government guidance, spiritual and religious concerns are not being given consideration in the construction of care plans. Possible reasons for this oversight are discussed.

Originality/value

Although there have been studies of the delivery of “spiritual care” in general acute care, there have been no similar studies in relation to mental health service users and their needs. The comparison of information from the service users themselves with the information recorded by the Trust provides a measure of the extent to which service user's own perspectives are being incorporated into their care plans.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Professor Tony Stewart for additional advice on this paper.

Citation

Walsh, J., McSherry, W. and Kevern, P. (2013), "The representation of service users’ religious and spiritual concerns in care plans", Journal of Public Mental Health, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 153-164. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-09-2012-0004

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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