New ways not working? Psychiatrists' attitudes

Abstract

AIMS AND METHOD: A questionnaire survey of general adult psychiatric consultants and specialist registrars in the West Midlands was conducted to examine attitudes towards New Ways of Working (NWW) for psychiatrists; these were measured using a 5-point Likert scale. Participants were also asked about their own experiences of NWW. The data were analysed using Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS: The response rate was 31.2%. Attitudes were generally negative, particularly regarding the effect on patient care, the erosion of the professional role of the consultant and effect on quality of work life. The attitudes of those who did not have any direct experience of working to the NWW models were more negative than those who had direct experience of NWW. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: There are significant concerns about NWW among consultants and specialist registrars. There is a need for further debate and research with regard to the proposals.