Staff views about involving service users in team formulation.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore staff views about whether and how service users should be involved in the process of team formulation.

Design: This study used Q methodology to explore health care professionals' views about service user involvement in team formulation meetings.

Methods: Forty staff members with experience of attending team formulation meetings completed a Q Sort in which they ranked how much they agreed or disagreed with 58 statements about service user inclusion in team formulation. Factor analysis was used to identify viewpoints within the data set.

Results: A three-factor solution accounting for 60% of the variance was considered the best fit for the data. The factors were: 'A safe space for staff', 'Concerns about inclusion and collaboration' and 'Service users might find attendance harmful'. Consensus statements identified areas where all participants agreed.

Conclusions: This is an important area for exploration, given the growing practice of team formulation and the professional and ethical issues raised by service user involvement. There are a range of ways to promote inclusion within the practice, and staff should always consider the individual needs of service users.