Confidentiality Training Project

 In 2004 Rethink were commissioned by the Department of Health, through their SDO R&D (Service Delivery Organisation and Research and Development) programme, to undertake research to identify best practice when mental health professionals share information with carers.

At the end of this project we asked if we could take forward one of the project recommendations: training for mental health professionals to support them to feel more confident and competent in sharing appropriate information with carers. The Rethink Confidentiality training project is this follow-on piece of work.

The aim of this project is to produce a set of training materials with carers, service users and professionals, which can be used to train professionals in the various aspects of information sharing, across different settings. The project started June 2007 and will run to August 2008.

• The initial phase of the project will involve:
  A survey to assess the content and delivery mechanisms of mental health professionals’ training programmes (e.g. NHS Trusts, social care teams, university teaching hospitals, professionals bodies)
• Forming a virtual cross-disciplinary stakeholder group that can comment and feedback on resources and draft materials
• Building contacts with carer organisations, to provide a consultative framework, and to identify people interested in being carer trainers in the project
• Developing a bank of case studies, experiences, quotes and best/worst practice scenarios, through consultations with carers, professionals and service users to build the resources around

To this end, we will be holding a number of consultation workshops and events around the country during the autumn of 2007, as well as gaining feedback and comments from our virtual panel, in order to improve the quality of our pilot training resources. We are currently looking to produce a variety of materials, including CD-Roms, on-line e-learning, pod-casts and paper-based manuals in a modular course, that can be adapted according to the training and delivery needs of the various audiences.

This is an exciting project, with the potential for making a real difference in the experiences of carers, service users and professionals of service delivery.  It has been shown that carers can experience real difficulties and frustrations around this issue, and professionals are often confused about implementing guidelines and policies and their legal status.  Far from being ‘just another consultative exercise’, this is, at last, a chance for carers and service users to be involved practically in training professionals, and it has the potential for producing a lasting sea-change in mental health service delivery.