Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental healthcare and services: Results of a UK survey of front-line staff working with people with intellectual disability and/or autism

TY - JOUR

T1 - Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental healthcare and services

T2 - Results of a UK survey of front-line staff working with people with intellectual disability and/or autism

AU - Sheehan, Rory

AU - Dalton-Locke, Christian

AU - Ali, Afia

AU - Vera San Juan, Norha

AU - Totsika, Vaso

AU - Hassiotis, Angela

N1 - Publisher Copyright: Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Aims and method Mental health services have changed the way they operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the challenges and innovations reported by staff working in services for people with intellectual disability and/or autism in National Health Service (NHS) and non-NHS sectors, and in in-patient and community settings. Results Data were drawn from 648 staff who participated in a UK-wide online survey. Issues around infection risk and mitigation were more important to those working in the NHS and in-patient settings. Community staff were more likely to express concern about the practicalities of a rapid shift to remote working and engaging patients remotely. Qualitative data revealed support for maintaining remote staff working and remote service provision post-pandemic. Clinical implications Given the current emphasis on community support for people with intellectual disability and/or autism, the focus of research and clinical practice should be the development of accessible and effective models of remote service provision.

AB - Aims and method Mental health services have changed the way they operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the challenges and innovations reported by staff working in services for people with intellectual disability and/or autism in National Health Service (NHS) and non-NHS sectors, and in in-patient and community settings. Results Data were drawn from 648 staff who participated in a UK-wide online survey. Issues around infection risk and mitigation were more important to those working in the NHS and in-patient settings. Community staff were more likely to express concern about the practicalities of a rapid shift to remote working and engaging patients remotely. Qualitative data revealed support for maintaining remote staff working and remote service provision post-pandemic. Clinical implications Given the current emphasis on community support for people with intellectual disability and/or autism, the focus of research and clinical practice should be the development of accessible and effective models of remote service provision.

KW - autism

KW - coronavirus

KW - COVID-19

KW - intellectual disability

KW - mental health services

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85109369247&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1192/bjb.2021.52

DO - 10.1192/bjb.2021.52

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85109369247

SN - 2056-4694

JO - BJPsych Bulletin

JF - BJPsych Bulletin

ER -