Co-Producing a Community of Practice Model for Primary Care Mental Health: A Participatory Grounded Study Conducted During the Pandemic

This research addresses the discovered disconnect within mental health primary care education policy and practice.

Purpose

The primary objective of this study is to align personal and community goals through a collaborative approach. It seeks to integrate community perspectives into future mental health policy (Faltermaier 1997), education and practice to enhance outcomes and promote active community participation.

Method and Methodology

The literature strategy combined historical and contemporary literature reviews to inform the context, the method and methodology. The qualitative methodology applied Grounded Participatory Theory and Cognitive Flexibility Theory.
Pre-pandemic, the method engaged six community participants in a focus group using two data collection methods Disney Modelling and Appreciative Inquiry (Chapter Three p.52). Fourteen telephone interviews were conducted during the pandemic, using Grounded Participatory Theory (Brown, Danaher 2019, Chapter Three p.61). Post-pandemic member checking and reflexivity were applied to refine the co-produced community of practice model for primary care mental health (Chapter Four p.197).
Key Outcomes
1. Collaborative Learning Theory was developed to integrate community perspectives into mental health education.
2. Government policy can promote community involvement in educational initiatives using a community of practice approach.
3. The gap between policy and practice needs redressing through co-production to improve mental health outcomes.
4. The physical and mental health of the primary care workforce interviewed showed that self-stigma meant help was often sought too late or not at all.

Results

Community participants emphasised the importance of relational care and highlighted educational gaps in mental health primary care. Health and social care professionals often neglect self-care due to self-stigma. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed severe health inequalities and confirmed the Inverse Care Law (Hart, 1971). These findings revealed a significant disconnect between community needs and current practice. The shared values and experiences of the community informed the development of a community of practice model for primary care mental health aimed at addressing these challenges.

Conclusion

This study contributes to mental health education by co-producing a community of practice model for primary care mental health. The model is based on community values and can enhance mental health outcomes by fostering stronger connections between policy, practice, education and community needs.