Understanding the barriers and facilitators to delivering peer support effectively in England: a qualitative interview study
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Background
Peer support roles within mental health services are rapidly increasing in number and scope in the UK and internationally. This paper explores the facilitators and barriers to delivering peer support effectively, as experienced by Peer Support Workers (PSWs) in a range of services and settings.
Methods
We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with paid mental health PSWs working across a range of settings in England. We took a collaborative, participatory approach. Interviews were carried out by researchers with experience of living with and/or supporting others with mental health conditions, and for some having experience delivering peer support themselves, and data were analysed using methods guided by general principles of thematic analysis.
Results
We interviewed 35 PSWs. Their roles were varied, spanning a range of mental health areas, and regions, but overarching facilitators and barriers were identified that appeared important across roles and settings. These included the need for roles to have flexibility with some structure and boundaries; the need for support, supervision and training to ensure PSWs are skilled in delivering the unique elements of their job; the importance of working with a strong team and leaders who support and value PSWs to help navigate the challenging personal aspects of being a PSW; the complexity of working in mental health systems where systemic factors such as funding, pay and progression can have a considerable effect both on the personal experience of PSWs and on the value placed on PSWs in the wider organisation.
Conclusion
Our findings highlight the complexity of PSWs, with a wide variety both of facilitators allowing them to carry out roles effectively and barriers to doing so. As PSWs numbers and the scope of their roles increase, awareness of barriers and facilitators needs to inform PSW job roles, support systems and integration into teams and mental health systems.
