Abstract
Introduction There is limited research about positive risk-taking within the recovery approach to mental health services. Policy and conceptual publications encourage positive risk-taking and suggest frameworks for its successful implementation. Lack of empirical evidence suggests that further exploratory research about it is needed. Aim This paper sought to explore the factors and processes that influence clinicians who made decisions related to positive risk-taking. Method Seven clinicians from two Home Treatment Teams took part in semi-structured interviews which were analysed using Thematic Analysis. Results Two super-ordinate themes emerged, each with a number of subthemes. Decision Making System elaborated upon the different processes within the system which impact on positive risk-taking such as resources, joint decision making and policies. Enabling Positive Risk Taking focused on the individual factors which vary across cases and clinicians, and enable positive risk-taking. These factors included other support, the relationships with service users, the information available, experiences, confidence and perception of blame. Discussion This study helps to address the lack of evidence about how positive risk-taking is understood and practiced. One idea that merits further exploration is whether or not ‘Operant Conditioning’ is a useful way of explaining staff behaviour around positive risk-taking. However, it was highlighted that further research could help clinicians and researchers to develop theory to support the practice of positive risk-taking. Implications for Future Practice Recommendations for future practice are tentative given the exploratory nature and limited scale of this study. These include a consideration of: How to reduce barriers to positive risk-taking through change in policy; Development and provision of training around positive risk-taking to improve confidence: and Consideration of resources available (especially out of hours), to enable and support positive risk-taking.