HI I have been an approved social worker in an integrated mental health service for older people for about 2years.  We are having a lot of problems as we are currently working with two computer systems to suit both health and social care as well as dealing with very complex cases. There is a lot of issues to do with cultural differences as well as trying to please two services.  In addition to this there appears to be great difficulty in establishing what should come to a social worker in an integrated mental health team for older people and what can be dealt with in a mainstream adult service. Is there any one out there that as had the same problems and what did you do to overcome things, 

 Hi Mrs Doyle

I don't know if it's any help but I know there is an ASW network in BASW - I could let you have details for them if you like? 

Thank you anything would be helpful.

 I'd give Basw a call on 0121 622 3911 and ask about their approved social workers network

 I currently work in an MDT team  which is very similar to yours it seems.  As a social worker,we have to work two computer sytems and please not only the LA and meet their criteria  but also the Mental Health team expectations. It seems that when consultation takes place regarding working practice we are expected to just go along with it. Anything to do with finance or social care  and "it`s where is the social worker" but when it comes to training fwe`re always the last in the que. No wonder staff are leaving and difficult to replace. Agency work is looking more favouable by the minuite. On a serious I find nursing staff on the ward very supportive, but I`m not sure thats enough to make me stay I am the lowest paid, next to the nurses and seem to have the most pressure, one worker for the whole of an area as opposed to sometimes three or more CPN`s.

yes! I know.  How frustrating.  We had a meeting with the powers that be who explained that'in the future we may be able to have one computer system but that does not help us now.  There is still a lack of understanding about what we have to input to satisfy the LA.  However I have looked at both systems and determined what we need to input to satisfy both camps.  The upshot is we are now looking at employing an admin worker to do some inputting on the LA system to take some of the stress from the social workers.  There is also proposals that the CPN'S will shortly be able to access simple care packages.  So that we have more generic mental health workers, but this is a long way off. Meanwhile we are also last in the queue when it comes to training yet we are expected to do mini-mental tests, sainsburys risk assessments and so forth.  We cannot keep staff either due to the lack of a proper structure in place

I work in a similar team and the way it has been 'resolved' is that 

We are all responsible for updating the health systems and databases. Funding is provided to the team based on the statistics that are collated there so that is the Trust's priorities. 

After much argument, an admin worker has been employed to input to the local authority database for all members of the MDT EXCEPT social workers who are expected to do this themselves.

I don't do too badly on it because I'm quite used to computer systems but some of my colleagues struggle. It's a lot of extra time to put into a job that is already struggling under a lot of time pressure. 

As for becoming generic mental health workers, that's definitely happened where I work - all care coordinators, in effect, also care manage. 

And a different argument perhaps! 

I worked in an integrated team as a social worker with the aim of delivering a seamless service, there was me and another unqualified social worker being managed by a CPN. As you mentioned there was a lot of cultural differences and conflict between the social and medical model. In addition to this there appeared to be great difficulty in establishing what should come to the social worker in an integrated team and what should go to a mainstream adut service. i found myself having a very high case load, no supervision and being managed by a health proffessional who had no experience of social care. i resigned from my post due to being that unhappy. my advice to other social workers considering a position in an integrated team is to ensure that they do their research first.