Exploring the Design, Development, and Implementation of a Peer-Led Community Café in Mental Health Service Provision: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Aims: To explore the design, development, and implementation of a peer-led community café to support people in mental health crisis from the perspectives of key stakeholders in Ireland. Design: Qualitative descriptive study. Methods: Twelve individuals representing the Community Café Operations Team and Senior Healthcare Management took part in a stakeholder convening or individual interview between February and July 2023 in Ireland. Data was analysed using Burnard's thematic content analysis framework, and findings were mapped onto the RE-AIM framework. This process was supported by the involvement of a person with lived experience who had previously utilised the Community Café as a customer. Results: Key findings identified in relation to the design, development and implementation of the Community Café included: person centredness, co-production, alternative service provision (out-of-hours), staff supports, challenges affecting sustainability, and governance issues. Conclusion: Close collaboration among healthcare services, practitioners, service users and community partners is essential in developing mental health services, prioritising co-production and person-centred service delivery. Key components include out-of-hours service provision, staff support, sustainability, and governance. By addressing these areas, healthcare systems can better meet the needs of service users on their recovery journey. Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care: The findings generate new knowledge to inform the development of community and crisis cafes, improve service user outcomes, and support recovery. The results provide valuable insights into key stakeholder perspectives guiding the design, development, and implementation of peer-led community cafes, highlighting best practices to shape future initiatives. Impact: The study provides valuable insights for policy makers, service developers, and care recipients by highlighting lessons learned from designing, developing, and implementing a peer-led Community Café. It showcases best practice in co-producing a peer-led service to address both service user and service needs. Reporting Method: We used the COREQ guidelines for reporting qualitative studies. Patient or Public Contribution: The study design was co-created with the Community Café Operations team, who contributed to the methods, interview schedule, and interpretation of findings. One team member (D.B.) worked in the Community Café, and a customer with lived experience of mental health difficulties helped contextualise and interpret the results.