Recently in mental health Category

Social workers in adult services are being asked to take blood and urine samples by NHS employers, according to a senior local authority director.

Jo Cleary, director of adult services at Lambeth Council in London, made the revelation before an audience at Community Care Live in London.

"I heard the other day that social workers have been asked to train in taking blood and urine samples," she said. "Is that the most important use of social workers' time or is it about multi-agency working?"

Social workers in adult services are being asked to take blood and urine samples by NHS employers, according to a senior local authority director.

Jo Cleary, director of adult services at Lambeth Council in London, made the revelation before an audience at Community Care Live in London.

"I heard the other day that social workers have been asked to train in taking blood and urine samples," she said. "Is that the most important use of social workers' time or is it about multi-agency working?"

A social worker was stalked for more than six years by a man she visited as part of a mental health assessment team.

The service user, Richard Jan, made numerous silent phone calls to social worker Shauna Bailey, attempted to torch her car and twice assaulted her, once beating her face repeatedly with a brick. Read more

This is an extreme case, but it raises interesting questions about whether stalking and prolonged abuse is a widespread problem. If so, what is being done to support social workers? Is abuse like this being properly recorded?

Have you ever been stalked by a service user? Have your say on CareSpace

I am sometimes not sure who gets stigmatised more by stories such as one that appeared this week where several publications were horrified that a man with a mental health condition was allowed to live in the community, where he eventually stabbed a man to death.