Revue internationale de santé mentale et de psychiatrie

Developing Risk Assessments from the Perspective of the Patient: A Case Study Report

Chris Wagstaff, Jose BOM, Richard Salkeld and Christian M Feij

This paper describes clinical team practice developed simultaneously but separately, in the Netherlands and the UK. Both teams work with patients with a significant risk history who are often unwilling to discuss risk; however it is imperative that clinicians do so. This paper discusses strategies the teams introduced to address this issue and case studies are used to illustrate the approaches. In addition to building a collaborative relationship the starting point of the risk assessment and management process was a ‘Stay well’ plan in which the patient describes the strategies which enable them to stay well. The case studies demonstrate how the changes to the risk assessment processes benefitted both the patients and the clinicians whilst also highlighting the need for on-going collaborative work. Making the perspective of the patient central to the risk assessment process; created an atmosphere of optimism and opportunities for dialogue and understanding. This case study paper highlights good clinical practice developed simultaneously, by mental health teams in the north Netherlands and the West Midlands United Kingdom in writing risk assessment strategies that fore front the perspective of the patient. These risk assessment strategies are explained in detail, complimented by case studies from each team.