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Client satisfaction among outpatients attending an Irish community mental health service

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Shane Hill ,
Niall Turner ,
Siobhan Barry  and
Eadbhard O'Callaghan
Shane Hill
Affiliation:
Cluain Mhuire Service, Newtownpark Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin, Ireland
Niall Turner*
Affiliation:
DETECT Early Intervention in Psychosis Service, Dublin, Ireland
Siobhan Barry
Affiliation:
Cluain Mhuire Service, Newtownpark Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin, Ireland
Eadbhard O'Callaghan
Affiliation:
Cluain Mhuire Service, DETECT Early Intervention in Psychosis Service and UCD, School of Medicine, Ireland
*
Correspondence E-mail: niall.turner@sjog.ie
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Abstract

Objectives: To assess patient satisfaction with mental health services. Client satisfaction with mental health services is attracting increasing attention and is now considered a key outcome variable in evaluating mental health services. The Quality Framework (Mental Health Commission (MHC)), and Vision for Change (VFC) support such evaluation. However, there are no published quantitative data from Irish users of a community mental health service.

Method: We invited outpatients attending a Dublin community mental health service to complete a standardised self-report instrument (Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, CSQ-8) and provide qualitative feedback.

Results: Of the seventy-nine respondents, 80% report they were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the service. However, they were critical of; access to, operation of, and communication with the mental health services.

Conclusions: Although satisfied, when given the opportunity to comment, service users can be critical of aspects of the service they receive. Only using quantitative evaluation of outpatient client satisfaction levels may fail to capture important consumer suggestions for service development. Recent recommendations and upcoming changes would address a number of the criticisms of mental health services identified in this study.

Keywords

Patient satisfactionService userMental healthVision for ChangeCSQ
Type
Brief Report
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , September 2009 , pp. 127 - 130
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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