organising and delivering care for older people with mental health problems (Challis et al., 2014). In particular, the work reported here aimed to identify i/ who occupational therapists in CMHTs for older people see; ii/ the nature of their role; and iii/ how they perceive this, including their job stress and satisfaction. Method The data utilised in this paper relate to four discrete research activities. First, a national survey of CMHT managers collected information on team membership and roles. Second, a caseload audit in nine CMHTs enabled identification of the service users supported by occupational therapists (as opposed to other practitioners). Third, qualitative interviews with five occupational therapists provided a detailed account of their roles, responsibilities and experiences. Finally, a survey of nearly 300 CMHT practitioners collected information on a range of psycho-social characteristics of their work (including job demands, controls and social support) and job satisfaction, facilitating comparison between professional disciplines. Standardised measures were used within the caseload audit and practitioner survey where feasible. The caseload audit employed the Barthel Activities of Daily Living Index with categories collapsed into four groups using conventional thresholds (independent – high or total dependence) (Mahony and Barthel, 1965). The practitioner survey included elements of the Job Content Questionnaire (Karasek, 1979) relating to measures of co-worker and supervisory support, job demands and
Table 1. Summary of research activities. Research activity Method Participants / settings Achieved response Data collection Date of fieldwork National survey of CMHT managers Postal questionnaire CMHT managers in England n = 376 (88% response rate) Bespoke items on team membership, roles of professional disciplines (including OTs) and liaison activities 2009-10 Caseload audit Bespoke data collection proforma completed by CMHT care coordinators Service users (≥65, home-dwelling) receiving care coordination. Collected in nine CMHTs from nine Trusts n= 948 service users (13.5% in contact with OTs in prior month) Socio-demographic characteristics, functional dependence1, diagnosis, depression screen2, cognition rating3, behavioural and risk profile (presence/absence of 13 items), mental health and social care service receipt. 2010-11 Occupational therapy interviews Qualitative interviews OTs in five CMHTs from five Trusts n = five OTs Semi-structured topic guide including nature of role and features of interdisciplinary working. 2011 Practitioner survey Questionnaire CMHTs from nine Trusts 25 OTs 147 other practitioners (59% response rate) Job characteristics, job satisfaction and measures of job demands, controls and support4. Eleven bespoke questions relating to features of multidisciplinary team work. 2011 Notes on standardised measures. 1 Barthel Index, a standardised instrument collecting information on functional abilities in 10 activities of daily living. 2 Patient Health Questionnaire - a two item depression screen. 3 Mini Mental State Examination (where available), a 30-point test of cognitive function. 4 Selected elements of the Job Content Questionnaire, a standardised pan-occupation instrument, measuring psychological pressure (or 'demands' - five decision latitude (or 'control' - nine items) and social support (or 'support' - 11 items).