Abstract
BackgroundIntersectoral collaboration between government sectors such as Health and Social Development and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in communities is crucial for provision of psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) for those with severe mental illness. This study aims to provide recommendations for strengthening such intersectoral collaboration in South Africa and with relevance to other low and middle income countries (LMIC), particularly African countries.MethodsTwenty-four in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 key informants from the South African Department of Health, two key informants from the Department of Social Development, four key informants from the NGO sector and one key informant from a service user organisation at national level. Framework analysis was conducted with NVivo 10 software.ResultsChallenges to intersectoral work identified were lack of communication between sectors, problems delineating roles, and each sector’s perception of lack of support from other sectors. Participant-identified strategies for addressing these challenges included improving communication between sectors, promoting leadership from all levels and formalising intersectoral relationships through appropriate written agreements; as well as ensuring that the available resources for PSR are effectively re-directed to district level.ConclusionsThis study has outlined several directions for progress to address challenges for intersectoral working for PSR in South Africa. These may be of relevance to other LMIC, particularly those in Africa. Political will and a long-term view will be necessary to realise these strategies.
Highlights
Intersectoral collaboration between government sectors such as Health and Social Development and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) in communities is crucial for provision of psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) for those with severe mental illness
Theme 1: views on current levels of intersectoral collaboration Participants from Department of Health (DOH) at district and provincial level, as well as the Department of Social Development (DOSD) provincial representative and NGO and the service user representatives agreed that existing levels of intersectoral collaboration were inadequate, with two stating that collaboration was ‘almost zero’ and that there was ‘no collaboration’ at district level
Several participants did describe examples of intersectoral collaboration directed by the initiatives of individual staff and relationships built between sectors in an unstructured way
Summary
Intersectoral collaboration between government sectors such as Health and Social Development and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) in communities is crucial for provision of psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) for those with severe mental illness. The need for intersectoral collaboration in the provision of Intersectoral collaboration is crucial, for provision of psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) for those with severe mental illness (a mental disorder meeting DSM5 and/or ICD10 diagnostic criteria and causing serious functional impairment). These individuals are recognized as having a range of medical and psychosocial. Provision of adequate long-term care in the community in LMIC, within the real-world resource-constrained context, will of necessity require collaboration between the relevant government and non-government sectors
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