Purpose:The aim of this article was to present views and opinions of people employed to work from their personal experience of significant mental health challenges (peer workers). The specific focus was on their capacity to contribute meaningfully to mental health service provision and in rural areas and associated barriers.

Design and Methods: Grounded Theory was the methodology utilized. In-depth interviews were conducted with peer workers throughout Australia.

Findings: Participants described significant barriers to the provision of quality mental health services in rural and regional locations. The two main areas identified were the following: transport and distance, and lack of mental health staff and services.

Conclusions: The identified barriers place limitations on the capacity of peer workers to maximize effectiveness in rural settings. Peer workers could potentially play an important role in overcoming shortages of staff and services and improving mental health service delivery.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	Consumer participation; lived experience roles; mental health; mental health nursing; peer workers; regional Australia; rural disadvantage; rural mental health care; staffing shortage.
Research Division:	Education
Research Group:	Curriculum and pedagogy
Research Field:	Medicine, nursing and health curriculum and pedagogy
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Provision of health and support services
Objective Field:	Nursing
UTAS Author:	Reid-Searl, K (Professor Kerry Reid-Searl)
ID Code:	153900
Year Published:	2017
Web of Science® Times Cited:	8
Deposited By:	Nursing
Deposited On:	2022-10-14
Last Modified:	2022-11-08
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