Service User Experience of Receiving Remote Inpatient Mental Health Treatment via the Homecare Service

Abstract

The Homecare Service was developed as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, providing all the elements of a mental health inpatient programme remotely, in the comfort and safety of the service user’s home thus reducing the need for a physical admission. The aim of this study was to explore service user experiences of a remote virtual inpatient care at an Irish independent mental health service. All participants who had a virtual admission in a 3-month period were invited to complete a series of questions via an online survey. Three open-ended questions generated qualitative data from this mixed methods study, which were thematically analysed. Three themes reflected service user experience: ‘The Homecare Service: a viable alternative to inpatient care’; ‘Importance of relationships’ and ‘Technology and Homecare.’ Overall, there was general satisfaction with the service. This study provided a good opportunity to identify issues that have emerged considering the prompt implementation of the initiative. Feedback relating to improvements can be implemented in future service delivery.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.