Evaluation of co-produced routine trauma enquiry training within secondary mental health services in England

Purpose There is a significant gap in training on trauma-informed care and routine enquiry into trauma for mental health practitioners in England (McNally et al., 2023). Best practice suggests that training should be provided by mental health trusts in England and co-produced with individuals who have lived experience of trauma (Trevillion et al. , 2022). The purpose of this paper is to explore whether co-produced routine trauma enquiry training increases staff confidence within secondary mental health services. Design/methodology/approach This paper used a mixed-method evaluation, which included brief questionnaires administered before and after the intervention, as well as at a two-month follow-up period, to assess staff confidence and knowledge and whether these were sustained over time. Participants were also interviewed using a semi-structured approach, and the data were analysed using framework analysis. Findings The intervention improved knowledge in several areas: when to ask about trauma, how to ask, how to respond to a disclosure, how to bring the person back to baseline (within their window of tolerance) and how professionals can care for themselves following a disclosure. Participants reported that the co-produced training increased their confidence in these areas. The intervention benefited all participants, enhancing self-confidence in asking about trauma in a trauma-informed way (routine trauma enquiry), with this increased confidence sustained over the follow-up period. Participants unanimously felt that this training should be mandatory for all staff. One emerging theme highlighted the importance of the service user’s perspective and the powerful impact participants found it to have. Research limitations/implications This paper demonstrates the importance of trauma-informed routine trauma enquiry training for mental health staff. It also has implications for future research, as further studies may be needed to explore why trauma-informed care and approaches are not being implemented, by analysing the views of both clinical mental health practitioners and key informants. Originality/value This paper advances the research on trauma-informed care and its implementation in secondary mental health services in England.