Valuing the carers : an investigation of support systems required by mental handicap nurses working in residential services in the community

Abstract

This study of the attitudes and feelings of mental handicap nurses directly involved in the transition of hospital based care to care in the community, investigated the perceived roles that nurses played in support of their clients and the degree to which they felt satisfied with their jobs. The study also examined the support mechanisms that they felt were required to sustain their efforts to promote high quality services.

The study commences with an analysis of the historical and social context within which care for people with a mental handicap has evolved. Through the use of a standardised questionnaire and personal interviews the ways in which nurses have adjusted to the changes that were demanded of them in non-institutional settings were examined; overall it appeared that nurses welcomed the changes that working in the community required; they saw them as new opportunities to develop and demonstrate their skills. Some nurses felt insecure and unsupported in their work and expressed concerns about their futures but nearly all remained committed to meeting the needs of their clients which was found to be their primary source of job satisfaction.

On the whole staff were more satisfied with their jobs than were their managers, who felt isolated from their staff and, more importantly, from clients. New styles of management were emerging but these were not always seen to support staff in their new work; feedback on performance was inconsistent.

ftw institutional attitudes were witnessed in the sample and these appear to have been replaced by an awareness of the need to develop a partnership

in care with their clients. The majority of respondents were pleased to leave the hospital culture and identified a number of support mechanisms that they felt would enhance the success and quality of their new work practices.

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