Moone, Nicki (2021) Understanding, improving and evaluating mental health practitioners’ experiences of well-being at work: an action research study. Doctoral thesis, University of West London.

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Abstract

The maintenance of well-being at work for those working in the National Health Service (NHS) can be a challenge; for those who work in mental health services, there are added issues of increasing demand and a streamlining of services within economic constraints. Literature suggests that there is a gap in the understanding of mental health practitioners’ experiences and factors that are deemed important to well-being, and this gap includes knowledge of how well-being can be influenced by mental health practitioners themselves.
This thesis addresses the ways in which mental health practitioners who work in a community mental health team can improve their experiences of well-being, job satisfaction, teamwork and resilience by active engagement in research and through service improvements. The work that was performed for this thesis emphasised the understanding, improvement and evaluation of well-being at work and this was achieved in this study through adoption of action research methodologies. The choice of this method was influenced by the decision to place importance on empowerment, as this approach engages participants to act as co-researchers to define and instigate interventions to improve well-being.
Findings suggest that mental health practitioners understand their experiences at work and place value on being charged with improving their well-being and that active engagement in research is an important factor in the achievement of that goal. Acting as co-researchers, practitioners can moderate the disconnect that exists between the widespread adoption of quality improvement initiatives in the NHS and those favoured by practitioners themselves.
This thesis concludes that practitioners are best placed to understand, determine and develop interventions to improve their own well-being at work. It is significant that, when practitioners are engaged in action research as co-researchers and stakeholders, perceptions of well-being at work can be altered and this has impacts on engagement at work and feelings of pride in work. Active empowerment as co- researchers and stakeholders increases positive feelings toward work in a supportive environment, lessens feelings of isolation, and makes a positive impact on relationships. Active empowerment is achieved through adoption of a collaborative approach to study.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	Medicine and health > Mental health
Depositing User:	Nicki Moone
Date Deposited:	18 Jun 2021 13:57
Last Modified:	04 Nov 2024 12:46
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/8014

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