People with lived experience of mental ill-health identify hope, agency and opportunity for self-determination and social inclusion, as essential to recovery.
• Hope – Believing that we can pursue our aspirations and goals, even with mental ill-health
• Agency – Knowing that we have choices and a sense of control over our lives
• Opportunity – Having options and support to build a life of purpose, meaning and inclusion
Services are typically staffed by hard working and committed individuals who seek to support the wellbeing of people with mental health needs. It is dismaying, then, that we often fail to provide truly person-centered care.
If we are to effect the organisational changes needed to align our services with our intentions, we need to prioritise the principles of recovery in all aspects of our work.
Recovery: A framework for service improvement
The recovery agenda is the preferred framework for service improvement nationally and internationally.
This is endorsed by the evidence base and our professional bodies. The UK ‘Implementing Recovery through Organisational Change’ (ImROC) programme has contributed significantly to the changes we have seen in NHS services over the last five years. This initiative has resulted in the promotion of Recovery Colleges, Peer Support and recovery outcome tools.
Yet there is still much to do. The UK Five Year Forward View and corresponding implementation plans raise serious concerns about current mental health provision and require us to develop co-produced services that are recovery and outcome focused, as a matter of urgency.
The Hope, Agency and Opportunity (HAO) tool
The HAO is a brief, validated measure of personal recovery that was developed by researchers and clinicians from the University of Southampton and the Southern Health Recovery College, alongside people with lived experience of mental ill-health.
The tool is freely available and can be used to support individuals’ recovery and promote recovery-based services.
Clinicians: Use HAO to start a conversation about recovery
What are your hopes for the future; do you have a sense of control over your life and the decisions that affect you; what opportunities do you need to lead the life you want to live?
Do your relationships with staff help or hinder your recovery?
How could we better support your recovery?
Team leads and researchers: Use HAO to measure recovery outcomes
Assess people’s sense of hope, agency and opportunity when they come into your service
Use this to develop and evaluate recovery-focused care plans Monitor progress over time and following therapeutic interventions
Managers and commissioners: Use HAO for whole team assessment & development
Seek direct feedback from the people who access your services
Consider how recovery focused your services are, and where to make improvements
Evaluate service development programmes
Next steps To download the tool and for more information, please visit:
https://www.southampton.ac.uk/psychology/research/impact/hope-agency-and-opportunity-measure-of-recovery.page
We also have capacity to offer further consultation and guidance on use of the tool.
If this would be helpful for you, please contact Amber at [email protected].