From: Service user involvement: impact and participation: a survey of service user and staff perspectives
Benefits of Service User Involvement | |||
Service Users | N | Professionals | Â |
Having a say, Included in decision making | 35 | Service users having a say, Empowerment | 26 |
Improvement in services | 25 | Therapeutic benefit, Self esteem, recovery | 16 |
Feeling listened to, chance to give opinion | 20 | Improvements in services | 15 |
Therapeutic benefit, Self esteem, recovery | 13 | Service user feel listened to and valued | 8 |
Opportunities for social interaction | 11 | Service users a source of knowledge | 7 |
Access to information about services | 9 | Access to information about treatment | 3 |
Getting involved in groups/activities | 7 | Service users’ professional development | 3 |
Improving relationship with clinicians | 7 | Positive use of time, | 3 |
Opportunity to develop skills | 5 | Other | 4 |
Other | 4 | Â | Â |
Disadvantages of Service User Involvement | |||
Tokenism, No resulting change | 11 | Service users too negative/too critical | 12 |
Users unable to participate due to health | 8 | Involvement detrimental to mental health | 9 |
User input not seen as important | 6 | Involved service users not representative | 8 |
Involvement detrimental to mental health | 5 | User input not seen as important | 6 |
Other | 3 | Tokenism, No resulting change | 6 |
 |  | Unrealistic demands made by service users | 4 |
 |  | Other | 2 |