Enhancing Collaborative Care Planning in Acute Mental Health Settings Written Assignment 1

Purpose of the Assessment

This task requires you to critically engage with Reid et al. (2018), which explores consumer perspectives of collaborative care planning in an acute inpatient mental health unit. You must identify consumer challenges, propose solutions, support your plan with additional literature, and link your approach to contemporary mental health practices.

Your response must be structured into three key parts.

Assessment Description

Reid et al. (2018) examine how consumers experience collaborative care planning in acute inpatient settings. The study highlights consumer and staff frustrations and offers insight into what consumers value in these environments.

Your written assignment must address the following:

Addressing Consumer Challenges

1. Summarise Key Challenges

Identify and summarise the key challenges experienced by consumers in Reid et al.’s (2018) study, specifically relating to collaborative care planning in acute mental health settings.

2. Develop a Plan to Address These Challenges

Provide a detailed, practical plan for overcoming the identified challenges when creating collaborative care plans with consumers.

3. Include Practical Engagement Strategies

Propose strategies to improve:

• Consumer engagement

• Consumer satisfaction

• Participation in the care planning process

Supporting Your Plan with Literature

1. Analyse Challenges Using High-Quality Sources

For each challenge identified in the Reid et al. (2018) study:

• Draw on other contemporary, high-quality literature

• Propose alternative approaches for addressing the challenges

• Explain why your plan is suitable

2. Compare and Contrast Findings

Provide a critical comparison of:

• Different methods described in the literature

• Strengths and limitations of each approach

• How each method aligns with or diverges from your proposed plan

Your argument must be evidence-based and grounded in current research.

Alignment with Contemporary Mental Health Practices

1. Evaluate Alignment with Modern Approaches

Critically evaluate how your plan fits within:

• Trauma-informed care

• Recovery-oriented practice

• Contemporary mental health frameworks

2. Show Respect for Lived Experience

Demonstrate how your plan:

• Recognises consumer experiences and personal narratives

• Promotes empowerment

• Ensures safety and collaboration

3. Highlight Specific Aligned Elements

Identify which parts of your plan directly:

• Support trauma-informed practice

• Promote recovery-oriented care

• Contribute to overall consumer wellbeing

Marking Rubric Summary

Criterion 1: Addressing Consumer Challenges (10 marks)

• High Distinction: Exceptional understanding, complex analysis, innovative and evidence-based strategies.

• Pass/Fail levels describe declining depth, alignment, and use of evidence.

Criterion 2: Compare & Contrast Methods (10 marks)

• High Distinction: Comprehensive comparison, strong analytical depth.

• Lower grades reflect limited or absent critical comparison.

Criterion 3: Alignment with Contemporary Practices (10 marks)

• High Distinction: Demonstrates deep understanding of trauma-informed and recovery-oriented principles.

• Fail: No evidence of alignment.

Criterion 4: Academic Writing (5 marks)

• High Distinction: Clear, logical, polished writing with no errors.

• Fail: Poor structure, unclear expression, significant errors.

Criterion 5: Literature & Referencing (5 marks)

• High Distinction: Wide range of contemporary sources; flawless APA 7 referencing.

• Fail: Insufficient, inappropriate, or missing sources and referencing.

Submission Instructions

1. Review rubric thoroughly before submission.

2. Ensure word count is 1300 words.

3. Upload your document via Canvas.

4. Confirm the originality statement and Turnitin agreement.

Summary of Assessment Requirements

This assessment requires students to critically analyse Reid et al. (2018), a study that explores consumer perspectives of collaborative care planning in an acute inpatient mental health unit. Students must identify the major consumer challenges highlighted in the study, propose evidence-based strategies to address these barriers, and support all arguments with high-quality contemporary literature. The assessment also requires a comparative evaluation of different approaches discussed in the research literature and an explanation of how the proposed plan aligns with contemporary mental health practices, including trauma-informed care and recovery-oriented frameworks. The final submission must demonstrate strong academic writing, proper structure, and accurate APA 7 referencing, within a word limit of 1300 words.

How the Academic Mentor Guided the Assessment 

1. Understanding the Core Task

The academic mentor first helped the student interpret the assessment brief by breaking it down into its three major components:

• Identifying consumer challenges reported in Reid et al. (2018)

• Developing a practical improvement plan

• Aligning the plan with contemporary mental health practices

The mentor emphasised the importance of grounding every argument in current, peer-reviewed literature to meet the rubric requirements for critical analysis and high-quality evidence.

2. Analysing Reid et al. (2018)

The mentor guided the student to:

• Extract the key challenges (e.g., communication barriers, lack of consumer involvement, power imbalances, limited staff availability).

• Highlight the consumer frustrations around collaborative care planning.

• Identify recurring themes such as unmet expectations, insufficient engagement, and restricted decision-making opportunities.

This set the foundation for writing a strong, accurate summary in the first section.

3. Developing a Plan to Address the Challenges

The mentor assisted the student in mapping each identified challenge to a practical, real-world strategy. Examples included:

• Using structured communication tools to address power imbalances.

• Implementing shared decision-making (SDM) frameworks to enhance engagement.

• Scheduling regular collaborative planning sessions to improve participation.

• Training staff in trauma-informed communication to reduce distress.

Each strategy was designed to be actionable in an inpatient mental health context.

4. Integrating Supporting Literature

The mentor reinforced the requirement to use high-quality academic sources, guiding the student to:

• Select peer-reviewed articles published within the last 8–10 years.

• Compare alternative methods (e.g., motivational interviewing, co-design models, person-centred planning).

• Discuss the strengths and limitations of each method.

• Include evidence showing why the chosen approach is appropriate for acute settings.

This step ensured the assessment met the rubric criteria for critical comparison and evidence-based justification.

5. Aligning the Plan with Contemporary Mental Health Practices

The mentor explained how to connect the proposed plan with:

• Trauma-informed care, focusing on safety, trust, and empowerment.

• Recovery-oriented practice, highlighting hope, autonomy, and personal goals.

• Modern mental health frameworks, such as SDM, consumer-centred models, and holistic care principles.

The student was guided to clearly identify which strategies supported each framework — for example, how co-production supports recovery goals, or how emotional validation promotes trauma-informed engagement.

6. Structuring the Assignment

The mentor helped the student organise the content into a logical academic structure:

1. Introduction

2. Summary of challenges

3. Improvement plan with engagement strategies

4. Literature-supported analysis and comparison

5. Alignment with contemporary practices

6. Conclusion

This ensured a polished, cohesive flow and addressed the academic writing component of the rubric.

7. Ensuring High-Quality Academic Writing and Referencing

The mentor reviewed:

• Paragraph coherence

• Critical analysis depth

• APA 7 in-text citations and reference list accuracy

• Formal academic tone

This step secured marks in the writing and referencing criteria.

Final Outcome and Learning Achievements

By the end of the mentoring process, the student successfully produced a well-structured, analytical, and evidence-based assignment that met all key requirements:

• The consumer challenges from Reid et al. (2018) were clearly identified and summarised.

• A detailed, practical, and realistic collaborative care improvement plan was developed.

• Suggestions were strongly supported by contemporary literature, demonstrating critical thinking.

• A well-reasoned comparison of alternative approaches strengthened the argument.

• The plan was effectively linked to trauma-informed care, recovery-oriented practice, and other modern frameworks.

• The writing followed academic standards, and referencing adhered to APA 7 guidelines.

Learning Objectives Covered

• Critical analysis of research evidence

• Application of mental health practice frameworks

• Development of consumer-centred care strategies

• Academic writing and referencing skills

• Understanding of trauma-informed and recovery-oriented principles

Get Your Reference Sample 

Looking for clarity before you start writing your assessment? You can download the sample solution provided on this page to understand the expected structure, academic tone, and depth of analysis required. This sample is a helpful study resource designed to guide your own work.

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