| |
Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
 | |
|
"Confidentiality smokescreens" and carers for people with mental health problems
— the perspectives of professionals | | Author(s) | Ben Gray, Catherine Robinson, Diane Seddon |
| Journal title | Health and Social Care in the Community, vol 16, no 4, July 2008 |
| Pages | pp 378-387 |
| Source | http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/hsc |
| Keywords | Mental disorder ; Informal care ; Usage [services] ; Services ; Health services ; Confidential material ; Coordination ; Interaction [welfare services] ; Attitude ; Professional workers ; Social surveys. |
| Annotation | Some findings from a collaborative study funded by the Big Lottery and led by Crossroads Caring for Carers about carers for people with mental health problems are presented. While government initiatives have attempted to augment the role and rights of carers, policy guidelines involving information sharing between professionals and carers have failed to deal with the practical dilemmas of patient confidentiality. Professional codes and training neither explore nor develop the moral and ethical ground that stands between the service user's need for privacy and the carer's need for information. Policy and training guidance on confidentiality is scattered, ambiguous, confusing for professionals, and inconsistent. There is uncertainty in practice about the information that professionals may share, and many professionals do not take into account carers' rights, not least to basic information to help them care for service users. "Confidentiality smokescreens" may sometimes lead to information being withheld from carers. Professionals sometimes find it easier and safer to say nothing. To explore these issues from the perspectives of professionals, a sample of directors and senior staff from the health, social and voluntary sectors (65 in all) were interviewed. Respondents were asked to comment at length on their understanding of confidentiality and information sharing with carers. Findings highlight "confidentiality smokescreens" that erect barriers that limit effective information sharing; issues involving confidentiality; risk management and carers in crisis; examples of good practice; and the need for training of professionals on confidentiality issues and rights of carers. This paper explores the challenge of confidentiality smokescreens from the perspective of professionals, and draws out implications for professional practice and training. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-080703207 A |
| Classmark | E: P6: QLD: I: L: 6RC: QAJ: QK6: DP: T7: 3F |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
|
| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
| |
|