Publication
Title
At the coalface of collaborative mental health care : a qualitative study of governance and power in district-level service provision in South Africa
Author
Abstract
Globally, there is an urgency to address fragmented mental health systems, especially in low-to-middle income countries. State and non-state mental health service collaboration is a central strategy to strengthen care. The study was undertaken to analyse the power in governance processes of public mental health service provision. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with state and non-state actors in mental health care in a South African district. Transcriptions were thematically analysed using the Framework for Assessing Power in Collaborative Processes. Findings suggested that collaborative processes were significantly state-owned, in terms of funding models, administrative and legislative jurisdiction, and state hierarchical referral structure. No formal agreements were in place, elevating the importance of key network actors to bring less-endowed NGOs into the service network. Fragmentation between the Departments of Health and Social Development was telling in district forums. Resistance to power structures unfolded, some participants sidestepping traditional hierarchies to leverage funding and support. The paper highlights the complexities and different facets of power in integrated mental health care in a South African district, adding to growing literature on the social mechanisms that influence collaboration.
Language
English
Source (journal)
The international journal of health planning and management. - Chichester, 1985, currens
Publication
Chichester : Wiley , 2018
ISSN
0749-6753 [print]
1099-1751 [online]
DOI
10.1002/HPM.2593
Volume/pages
33 :4 (2018) , p. 1121-1135
ISI
000452874800044
Pubmed ID
30074639
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 18.01.2019
Last edited 02.10.2024
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