This is a discussion of the recovery model of care as it applies to mental health care practice. It bases on a case study of Australia, and addresses how the policy affects the nursing practice, its effectiveness and impact to the clients and the nurses. It also features the context of development of the policy and the impacts it has on the nurse and groups to which it is applicable.
Mental Health Policies and Legislation
It is not humane nor is it dignified to allow any living person to live in a florid psychosis; this would be a cruel and odd punishment. In the Australian medical practice, the health laws and regulations dictate that, doing the legal thing in the course of duty is not sufficient, but rather the professional must do what is morally right. In definition, recovery is the process of changing through which an individual improves in their health status and wellness, to live a self-directed life, striving to reach their maximum potential (Turton, Wright & Killaspy, 2010). The essay covers the introduction of the recovery model of care in Australia and the successive impacts it has on the treatment process of the patients: in addition to the impact on the nursing practice. The evolution of the recovery model, however, now presents a chance for the challenged persons to undergo a corrective procedure to regain their initial normal status of life. There are other care models such as the person centric-care model, the strengths model and Guys cross recovery model. These models relate to the recovery model of care, as they all focus and emphasize on the personal development for mental health recovery.
The recovery oriented mental healthcare practice revolutionizes the purpose of the psychological treatment of patients. The perspective of the mentally ill person on the procedure of recovery presents gaining and retaining hope of a better life, the understanding of the abilities and disabilities of the person, engagement in active life, personal autonomy, social identity, purpose in life and a positive sense of self. It is significant to note that, recovery and cure are not synonymous (Mental Health Council of Australia, 2009). Recovery entails the internal condition of the person who is undergoing the process of recovery, which includes aspects of hope, healing, empowerment and connection. It also incorporates the external conditioning of the person undergoing the recover that facilitate the process, and these include, the implementation of human rights, a depiction of positive culture of healing and access to the recovery oriented services. There are certain principles under which the recovery model operates, outlined in the mental health policies of the Australian healthcare bill. These principles facilitate and govern the working and relations between the nurses and patients in the recovery process.
The policies outline principles of contact such as, the realization of the uniqueness of the individual. Recovery health practice acknowledges that, recovery is not automatically about cure but rather about the presentation of an opportunity for a choice to live a meaningful life, with value as a member in the community (Australia. Dept. Of Health and Ageing., Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council., Mental Health Standing Committee (MHSC)., & Mental Health Information Strategy Subcommittee (Australia, 2011). It also dictates that the outcomes of recovery are personal and unique for every patient and goes beyond the health focus to the emphasis of social inclusion and quality of life. It also empowers individuals to realize that they are at the heart of the care they receive. Secondly, the mental health approach supports the individuals and empowers them to make their personal decisions and choices of what they desire to achieve with their lives, facilitating the process of the choice making to ensure that the choice is meaningful and creative. It also supports the individuals to build their strengths and take responsibilities over their lives at any presented moment. Moreover, in the choice making, it ensures that there is balance between the duties of care and support for individuals to enable them take positive risk and exploit the opportunities at their disposal.
The third principle in the policy of operation of the mental oriented recovery care covers the attitudes and rights in practice. The practice involves the inclusion of listening to the individual, learning from the person and acting upon the communication from them, and the care of what they present as imperative to them (Forrester, & Griffiths, 2010). The practice also calls for upholding and protecting the permissible rights of the individuals, the citizenship and the human rights of the person. In addition, the practice supports the maintenance and development of social, frivolous, occupational and occupational activities, which are meaningful to the personage. It instills a sense of optimism for the future in the capacity of the person to have a meaningful life. The policy of the recovery practice also outlines the aspect of dignity and respect while dealing with the client. It consists of the demands that a person be courteous, respectful and honest within the interactions with the recovering individual. Moreover, the practice calls for the nurse to act professionally as possible, showing sensitivity and respect for all individuals and paying particulate attention to their values, beliefs and culture. Therefore, the policy acknowledges the diversity of the cultures, beliefs and values of people and thus, restricts the operations of the nurses to professionalism and ethical contact with the individuals. Moreover, the policy also outlines contact as concerns the issue of challenges, discrimination and stigmatization where it exists within the society and services of the mental health care or the broader community. This prevents against the practice of such discrimination and stigmatization (Elder, Evans & Nizette, 2009). The recovery oriented mental care acknowledges that every individual is proficient in his or her own life; thus, the recovery procedure involves working in partnership with and cohesion with the client and what they care about to provide support in a way that has sense according to them. The practice values the importance of having to share relevant information and the need for clear communication to enable for effective engagement between the individual and facilitator. It also calls for the recovery facilitator and individual receiving help to work in positive and realistic ways; addressing their cares to assist them realize their personal hopes, goals and aspirations. The last principle of the mental health recovery practice is the evaluation of the recovery. The practice policy ensures and allows a continuous evaluation of the recovery at several levels in the procedure. The recovery allows for the individuals and their cares to keep track of their own progress. The services of the practice demonstrate that they use the experiences of care of the individuals to inform quality improvement activities (Byrne & Neville, 2009). The mental health system files reports of the key outcomes that indicate the recovery; including all aspects of life such as housing, employment, education and social and family relations; in addition to the health and well being measures of the practice.
The introduction of the mental health policies outlining the principles of the practice in Australia improved my attendance to patients and individuals recovering from severe mental illnesses; that significantly affected their lives (Hall, 2010). The program and the policies are helping me transform the lives of persons while working as the nursing facilitator. The practice helped to diversify my work description significantly; hence, making my work as nurses much simplified. The nurses in the previous sessions had a hard time managing the individuals. This is because; the initial practice of mental care did not have a clear and distinct outline of the expected code of conduct between the nurse facilitator and the individual (Meadows, Singh & Grigg, 2007). However, now I am in a good position to evaluate the progress of my patient, while keeping the working, as professional as possible. Thus, the implementation of the mental health recovery program in Australia revolutionized the mental health care process in the country, taking the quality of care from the nurses to a new level; which broadened and simplified my work significantly.
The development of the recovery health started in the United States and spread across to the other nations. In Australia, the adoption was partial, starting with a few health institutions located on the western side of the country. This was due to the huge number of mental patients in the region. The success of the program saw it get implementation nationwide (Lloyd, King & Deane, 2009). The scientific revolution and the advancement of the education sector, along with the improvement of technology revolutionized the health care services significantly. Similarly, the political development aspect in the nation significantly contributed to the development of the healthcare ministry in the nation. The politics were key in drafting and passing of health care bills for implementation in the country. The implementation of these policies and laws governing the development of the health care solved many challenges associated with access for medical care of the citizens. A person with challenges in the mental aspect had the opportunity to access some form of care in the healthcare services with the development of the psychology branch of study (Gehart, 2012). Additionally, within the nurse training programs, the ministry introduced the care of the patients as an essential part of the course. This included the development of skills top care for all patients including the mentally challenged and affected.
The model additionally, incorporated the deinstitutionalization of the health care ministry. Independent and community-based health centers were developed to cater for the services of mental health care. The recovery model isolates the psychiatric needy patients to operate independently, leading to the expansion of the health care in the country. The country saw setting of new health centers, thus reducing the congestion in the available healthcare centers. The number of nursing to patient ratios reduced to a considerable value. Thus, the people now have access to quality and ready mental care services.
The historical development of the social and the political sections in the country have the origin of the mental health care policy, which incorporates the recovery model adopted from 2006 in the country. The development of the sector changed the whole approach to the individuals requiring mental care (Archambeault, 2009). The act developed in 2006 and implemented in Australia changed the practical approach to the care of the mental patients in the country. The development of the policy originated from the social context of the stigmatization and alienation of the mental health patients from the wholesome society. The society realized that this special group of people did not have a defined course of attendance that addresses their needs in a holistic approach. Therefore, the medical; fraternity developed the recovery oriented mental health practice, which it then passed to the political arena for debate. After the rigorous consultations and practical to try the effectiveness of the propositions in the southern part of Australia, the program proved to be a helpful and effective way of addressing the needs of the mental health patients (Lawrance & Stammers, 2008). In line with this revelation, the country legalized the action of the recovery oriented mental health practice to enable the working nurse to deliver quality service to the citizens. The country currently enjoys a developed and established recovery mental health care practice from the adoption of this policy in the year 2006.
The new vision of the health care is helping the mental health system to assess the prevailing practices and attitudes; in view of the client-oriented themes that facilitate and promote a more positive recovery process (Svendsen, Cutler, Ronis, Herman, Morrison, Smith & Munetz, 2005). The clients continue to receive quality care from the application and adherence of the nursing professionals to the principles outlined in the policy regulation. The procedure of the recovery process and the implementation of the principles in operation help clients to base their recovery on realistic approaches. This is unlike the traditional psychology approaches, which incorporate counseling and teaching of new life practices. The recovery-oriented model facilitates the individuals to engage in finding solutions to their problems. The aspect of finding solutions to their own problems helps them in developing adaptive measures to the issues they face. Therefore, the recovery oriented mental health practice helps individuals to address their concerns effectively (Bland, Renouf, & Tullgren, 2009). Once the individual undergoes the care for the first time, the subsequent sessions become simplified and thus, it is effective in addressing issues for the long-term. The recovery model also advocates for the operations to tore the line of observing human and social rights of the person. Moreover, there is the observance of the issue of diversity in cultural beliefs and religious views. The principles of the recovery model address the contact with individuals; hence, they eliminate the inconsistency of interest amid the client and the nurse facilitator due to such personal interests and beliefs. The government managed to save huge sums of money, cutting on the recurrent expenditures and expanding the service provision in the country. Additionally, the psychiatric beds increased sue to the release of many patients, with over 8000 patients helped by the implementation of the recovery model.
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