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Team psychological formulation is an organisational intervention aimed at developing a shared understanding of a person’s mental health difficulties. There is a lack of evidence regarding the therapeutic value of this approach for older people. The purpose of this paper is to explore how older people and their carers experience a cognitive-behavioural approach to team psychological formulation, within a mental health inpatient service in the UK.

A qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis was undertaken. In total, 13 participants were interviewed: five older people/carer dyads, two lone older people and one lone carer.

Three overarching themes emerged: “Emotional impact of formulation” captured the mixed emotions that the process evoked in participants. “Making sense?” reflected the therapeutic value that participants experienced and what held them back from making gains in their recovery. “Disempowered people trapped in a biomedical world” illustrated the negative aspects of ward care, which hindered recovery.

The findings provide insights into the therapeutic value of team psychological formulation and the difficulties in facilitating the process effectively. More consistency is required to ensure that team formulation is standardised. Further research into the outcomes of the approach for older people is recommended.

Recommendations are proposed for how team psychological formulation can be conducted effectively, using the mnemonic “SETUP”.

This study focussed on older people’s and their carers’ own perspectives regarding the team psychological formulation approach.

In a fast-moving world where technology has become intertwined with our daily lives, meaning information is available at our fingertips, information overload (Khabsa and Giles, 2014) is just one of many challenges that this technological overhaul has presented for learners from the primary classroom up to studies within higher education (HE). This paper aims to present skills needed by both pupils and students to navigate their information journey, and discusses how educators can support the acquisition and development of these skills.

Drawing on key literature in the fields of education and academia through the process of systematic review and adopting the analogy of a journey to represent lifelong learning, this bipartite paper explores how both primary school pupils and university students are required to access information in their very own information journeys in this “Information Age”.

The similarities and differences between child and adult learners are considered. This paper shares practical strategies for promoting the smarter use of information – and a shorter journey – for these “travelers” along the way. This paper essentially aims to raise questions in the minds of educators as they help to prepare their learners to learn.

This paper offers an interesting insight for teachers and lecturers as the crossover between two sets of learners, primary-age pupils and students in HE, is considered in terms of how we, as educators, can help to provide more effective and efficient information journeys, and therefore promote successful learning. A five-stage model is presented for the information journey.

The purpose of this paper is to employ innovative methods to examine the associations between personal wellbeing, self-rated health and various aspects of social capital within a socio-economically disadvantaged town in northern England.

A survey was developed and administered with input from local stakeholders (including residents), using a participatory action research (PAR) approach. In total, 11 lay interviewers were trained to pilot and deliver the final survey, which was completed either in person or online. In total, 233 valid surveys were returned.

Respondents were aged between 17 and 87 years (mean 47.3, SD 17.4), 65.7 per cent were female and 46.2 per cent identified themselves as having a longstanding illness, disability or infirmity. Overall, respondents reported lower levels of personal wellbeing and social capital in comparison with UK averages, although free-text responses highlighted a strong sense of community spirit and pride in the town. Low wellbeing was strongly associated with poor health, social isolation and neighbourhood factors such as perceived lack of community safety and trust.

PAR appears to be an acceptable approach in generating estimates of population characteristics associated with personal wellbeing.

The findings of this study may be used by policymakers to design services and interventions to better meet the needs of communities characterised by indicators of poor health and wellbeing.

This work constitutes part of a global trend to measure personal and societal wellbeing. A novel methodology has been used to examine the factors that influence wellbeing at a neighbourhood level.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the UK. Black men are in a higher prostate cancer risk group possibly due to inherent genetic factors. The purpose of this paper is to introduce PROstate Cancer Evaluation and Education (PROCEE), an innovative serious game aimed at providing prostate cancer information and risk evaluation to black African-Caribbean men.

PROCEE has been carefully co-designed with prostate cancer experts, prostate cancer patients and members of the black African-Caribbean community in order to ensure that it meets the real needs and expectations of the target audience.

During the co-design process, the users defined an easy to use and entertaining game which can effectively raise awareness, inform users about prostate cancer and their risk, and encourage symptomatic men to seek medical attention in a timely manner.

During focus group evaluations, users embraced the game and emphasised that it can potentially have a positive impact on changing user behaviour among high risk men who are experiencing symptoms and who are reluctant to visit their doctor.

Human resource professionals (HRPs) remain challenged by ethical conundrums in the workplace. Business leaders are asked to respond to demands for efficiency in an environment of distrust or skepticism amongst employees and customers. HRPs who understand ethical decision-making as well as ethical perspectives and implications of actions within the organization can create value within their organizations. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the five ethical content issues of Hosmer’s (1987) model related to the twenty-first century human resource management (HRM) themes.

As a result of a syntheses of leadership and HRM philosophies over several decades, six propositions associated with the content issues are suggested.

HRPs are well-positioned to encourage ethical and moral decision-making within their organizations when they are able to contribute to creation of a culture that honors duties to stakeholders and supports organizational success.

The existence of synthesized analysis regarding organizational leaders, human resource managers, ethics and culture to build organizational success is limited. Thus, this paper highlights a need for organizations and for HRPs to dedicate policies and implement practices which can support ethical sustenance in today’s organizations.

Reports from the south‐east of England that housewives have been purchasing packets of “ glitter ” consisting of powdered glass, lacquered, coated with silver and sometimes dyed, for the purpose of decorating their cakes makes one wonder seriously whether we Britons are any more of a thinking race than our coloured brethren of London and other large centres, who report has it, consume large quantities of canned cat and dog meat as a sandwich spread. In the first case, although the so‐called “ glitter ” was never prepared for use as a cake decoration, the manufacturers concerned have given an assurance that in future packets will be labelled that the contents are not for eating !

This article gives an overview and selected findings from a study funded by the Mental Health Foundation in 2007, which was collaboratively carried out by researchers at Anglia Ruskin University and two freelance researchers. The research team included members with direct and indirect experience of mental distress. The findings add to our knowledge of an under‐studied part of the voluntary sector: organisations run for and by people who share the same health or social condition. The reported study explored and identified the innovative organisational features and funding arrangements of four mental health user‐led organisations, as well as assessing service users' perceptions of the role that such organisations play in promoting social inclusion and recovery from their mental health problems.

A psychometrically validated measure is needed to evaluate outcomes in carers of people with mental health problems, including dementia. This study aims to develop and validate the Carer well‐being and support questionnaire (CWS).

Development and evaluation of the measure was conducted in three phases. The authors deconstructed an existing questionnaire (CUES‐C) to produce a long version measure. This was trialed with carers to reduce the number of items and a preliminary evaluation of the psychometric properties of the remaining items was undertaken. A second field test was conducted with the item‐reduced questionnaire measure to evaluate acceptability, reliability and validity.

The CWS well‐being scale shows moderate acceptability and good reliability and validity. The CWS support scale shows moderate acceptability and good reliability; validity testing for the support scale is limited by the lack of appropriate validating measures.

The CWS is a reliable, valid measure of carer well‐being and support, reflecting important aspects of carers' lives.

This paper provides researchers and practitioners with a tool that can be used to measure and address areas of support for carers. This is important in assessing the effectiveness of new interventions and approaches.

Despite the recent growing interest in user‐led organisations (ULOs), they remain an under‐researched area of volunteer sector activity, with the majority of the literature emanating from North America. This article attempts to redress this imbalance by reporting on the innovatory features and challenges facing mental health ULOs in England, particularly in light of recent government policy prioritising generic pandisability ULOs. In‐depth qualitative interviews were undertaken with a purposive sample of 48 service users and staff from four geographically dispersed mental health ULOs in England. Innovatory features identified by staff running and service users attending mental health ULOs were: being user‐led; their non‐hierarchical organisational structures; and community‐inclusive activities. The challenges identified were: maintaining a user‐led ethos; managing the tension between being user‐led or user‐managed; and relationships with funders. Recent policies that recognise and promote the development of ULOs are encouraging, although the emphasis on generic, pan‐disability ULOs may impede the innovatory ethos and development of mental health ULOs.

The physical and psychological effects of human trafficking1 can be severe and long‐term (Zimmerman et al, 2006). Yet with appropriate support at all stages of the trafficking process women can be rehabilitated and re‐integrated within society (Zimmerman et al, 2003). This article highlights the unique needs of trafficked women and explores the work of the POPPY Project (the sole UK government‐funded dedicated service for women trafficked into prostitution) in helping trafficked women integrate into UK society successfully.