dc.description.abstract | In the UK there is a need to better support people with bipolar and schizophrenia not currently in crisis. PARTNERS is testing collaborative care by placing secondary practitioners in primary care, who take a coaching approach to improve client’s wellbeing across mental and physical health, and social and community life. During our formative evaluation we supported practitioners to follow PARTNERS through training, manuals, supervision and researcher support. To evaluate fidelity we recorded sessions between practitioners and clients, then interviewed individuals using tape assisted recall (6 sessions, 6 practitioner interviews, 6 client interviews). We coded transcriptions using a theoretical framework developed from our collaborative care model. We are currently analysing the codes drawing from a realist approach, looking at ways the practitioner—client sessions did and did not align with our model, to identify patterns for how this may have affected practitioner and client experiences. Interim findings show that one practitioner administered PARTNERS with less fidelity than the other. One practitioner listened to and emotionally supported clients, while also taking action on their behalf. The second practitioner focused on developing a shared understanding of clients’ needs, and agreeing and working towards person-centred goals. All six clients appreciated the support they received from the service, but those who worked with the second practitioner were more able to describe the progress they had made towards improving their lives. We will discuss final findings and the adaptations we made to our model in response, in preparation for the clinical trial currently taking place. | en_GB |