Bridging an old divide : forging partnerships between clinical and academic sectors in mental health

Background: Traditionally, health services and academia have viewed themselves as discrete sectors, with different agendas and priorities. Health services have focused on patient care, while academia has concerned itself with the advancement of knowledge through research and teaching. Although health services often incorporate research and teaching into their activities, it is generally not their primary focus. Objectives: Using the example of a modem mental health service, this chapter sets out some opportunities for collaboration between health services and academia. These include a multidisciplinary approach, mentoring and peer support, practical steps to start bridge building, opportunities for publication, grant applications, and student supervision. The authors also briefly highlight some possible risks associated with attempting to bring the clinical and academic sectors closer together, and ways these might be addressed. Discussion: A range of activities can help to bridge the divide between the academic and clinical sectors. These activities include: forums that promote constructive feedback and scholarly dialogue, negotiating relationships with universities to provide role orientation, positive teaching experiences and gaining insight into the realities of academia and the clinical setting. All these activities can be readily provided by a range of disciplines based on realistic and fair workloads. Building research capacity is not only beneficial for clinical staff, but enhances opportunity for clinically relevant academic research programs. This approach is not without risks, such as confusion among staff about roles and the time required to negotiate bureaucratic requirements; but, on balance, the advantages to staff and patients outweigh these potential disadvantages. Conclusion: With careful planning, risks associated with forging partnerships between the clinical and academic sectors can be overcome to promote clinical and research excellence, and contribute to innovative career pathways.