Recovery colleges: quality and outcomes
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the available evidence regarding the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of Recovery Colleges. To make suggestions for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
Selective review of relevant published studies, including reports in the “grey” literature.
Findings
Despite methodological limitations, it has been consistently found that attendance at Recovery Colleges is perceived to be useful and to help people progress towards their recovery goals. There is some evidence of reductions in service use (and therefore costs). In addition, there is evidence of beneficial effects for peer trainers and possible positive impact on staff attitudes.
Research limitations/implications
The existing research highlights the need for further robust studies, using both qualitative and quantitative methods, to understand better the overall impact of Recovery Colleges and the underlying mechanisms of change.
Practical implications
There is a need for further studies of the relationship between the “key defining features” and outcomes. This means the collection and pooling of systematic, “practice-based” evidence.
Social implications
The introduction of an explicitly recovery educational (“learning”) model into mainstream mental health services seems to have a profound effect on reducing the power differences inherent in traditional professional/patient relationships. If this can be replicated across organisations it could facilitate the kind of fundamental cultural change necessary to give back recovery to the people who have always owned it.
Originality/value
The information collected together in this paper is already publicly available, however it is difficult to find. The analysis and interpretation is original.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
© This is an edited version of a chapter on “Recovery Colleges and Co-production” which is to appear in “Wellbeing, Recovery and Mental Health”, edited by Mike Slade, Lindsay Oades and Aaron Jarden, Cambridge University Press.
For a fuller version of this paper, see Shepherd, McGregor, Meddings and Roeg (in press) “Recovery Colleges and Co-production” to appear in “Wellbeing, Recovery and Mental Health,” edited by Mike Slade, Lindsay Oades and Aaron Jarden, Cambridge University Press.
Citation
Meddings, S., McGregor, J., Roeg, W. and Shepherd, G. (2015), "Recovery colleges: quality and outcomes", Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. 19 No. 4, pp. 212-221. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-08-2015-0035
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited