31-mcglynn

McGlynn (2006) CRHT: A practical guide

'Managing risk in CRHT teams

CRHT teams have challenged some of the traditional ways of working and have adopted a different approach to service delivery, including:• working in a more collaborative manner with service users;• providing a service in the least restrictive environment as possible for the service user;• adopting a 'gatekeeping' role for people with the potential for hospital admission.These may prove to be extremely challenging concepts for some. The thought of leaving a person at home while they are experiencing an acute mental health crisis may appear, in some cases, to be somewhat negligent. In addition, working alongside a person in the community who is in crisis may appear a daunting task for practitioners who may not have had the opportunity to experience working in this way.Positive risk management is about examining and analysing the possibilities available at any given time in any given situation, and being able to support an action that is the 'best' for the service user within that context. This, however, does not mean taking unnecessary risks or being cavalier in approach. It is a way of weighing up the options and being able to make the 'right' choice based on the information available rather than feeling forced into a choice based on previous patterns of care or invalid perceptions of risk. While the literature states that the least restrictive environment should be utilised, this may still mean that an admission to hospital is the right decision and as a consequence should not be seen as a failure on the part of the team.' (p.35)