Staff and service users' experiences of the self-harm pathway on an acute inpatient ward

Abstract

A female acute inpatient mental health ward developed a care pathway to support women who self-harm during their admission. This service evaluation was the first to explore staff and patients' experiences of the care pathway using qualitative methods. Semi-structured interviews were completed with eight staff members and five patients. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data. Themes that developed from staff interviews were about effects on staff and staff support, enabling patients to manage self-harm autonomously and the ward environment. Themes developed from patient interviews included enabling engagement, putting skills into practice and least restrictive practice. Staff and patients viewed the pathway as effective in reducing self-harm incidents and levels of restriction on the ward. The pathway was viewed positively by staff and patients, although improvements could be considered to increase its efficacy.