Comparing needs assessed by staff and by service users: paternalism or partnership in mental health?

This paper examines two questions. Do staff and service users agree when rating the needs of those with severe mental illness? If not, what is the meaning of these differences? To put these questions in context, we shall define needs, examine one particular way in which needs can be measured in a standardised way, using the Camberwell Assessment of Need, and shall discuss three somewhat similar studies which have compared user and staff rated needs.