Service user interactions with staff in forensic settings
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Service user perceptions of their interactions with staff in forensic mental health in-patient settings
IRAS ID
338258
Contact name
Douglas MacInnes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Canterbury Christ Church University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 0 days
Research summary
Forensic mental health services care for individuals who have mental disorders and are either offenders or at risk of offending. It has been proposed that a positive relationship between staff members and service users is an important element of care in forensic services as it enhances therapeutic engagement and reduces the likelihood of conflict or violence. This study will be conducted at a secure forensic mental health unit (Bracton Centre), focusing on understanding how individuals who are in-patients in a forensic mental health service perceive their interactions with staff members. The aim is to uncover what aspects of communication are viewed as helpful or unhelpful. It is proposed the study findings have the potential to offer guidance as to how to improve communication in forensic mental health settings.
The research will adopt a mixed methods design and will be conducted in two stages. Firstly, a questionnaire developed by service users will be administered to around 100 in-patients, exploring their views on communication with staff. Secondly, four focus groups of approximately six people in each group with diverse participant backgrounds, will be conducted looking more closely at their perceptions and experiences. The focus groups will be audio-recorded and transcribed. Descriptive analysis will be used when analysing the questionnaire data while thematic analysis will be used to examine the focus group data. The findings from the two data sets will be combined to give an overall view of the interactions between service user and staff in the service.
The study was co-produced with users in the service who were involved in designing the study and will also be involved in its conduct. This includes six service users who will be active members of the research team with direct involvement in planning, data collection, analysis and dissemination of the findings.
REC name
London - Fulham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/PR/0266
Date of REC Opinion
29 Apr 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion