Revisiting job satisfaction and burnout in community mental health teams

Background. Staff morale is critical to the effectiveness and viability of teams and the models of care that they are implementing. Aims. To update the findings on burnout, job satisfaction and sources of high or low morale in teams since the national survey of community mental health teams published by the Journal of Mental Health in 1997. Method. The literature on job satisfaction, stress and burnout in community mental health teams published between 1997 and 2010 is reviewed. Results. Though beset with contradictory findings and inconsistent methodologies it is possible to conclude that although many studies report high levels of emotional exhaustion, there is no evidence for a decline in morale. Morale tends to vary across discipline and site location. Lack of resources and workload pressures remain the most consistent source of concern among staff. Conclusion. The literature on morale in teams is beset by inconsistent findings and methodologies that are inadequate to providing a generalisable perspective on the highly complex and inter-related factors affecting morale. Effective team working and good leadership, management, support and supervision appear to be protective factors that need further enhancement informed by evidence.