Controlling the confusion: using barrier analysis in the care home sector

The provision of mental health teaching and training to staff in the care home sector by a dedicated educational team was established in Bridgend in 2003. A multiprofessional old age liaison psychiatry team was created in 2009 specifically to link closely with the teaching staff, further building on previous work on referral coordination and a single point of access. This article describes the application of barrier analysis to deliver both this new service and mental health education to the care home sector. Imaginative uses of information technology and multimedia to support the efforts of all staff are described, as are some pitfalls and hazards to avoid. The most effective elements of these developments are discussed, using barrier analysis as the explanatory model, with an emphasis on aspects that could be adopted more widely.