“She didn’t care about me at all”: A Qualitative Study of Consumer and Carer Reflections on Mental and Physical Healthcare Across Clinical, Allied Health, and Lived Experience Workforces

People living with a mental health diagnosis are less likely to have their physical healthcare needs met. This may be because of barriers to healthcare including stigma and discrimination on the part of clinicians and delayed or missed diagnosis. People with mental and physical health concerns living in rural and regional areas are disproportionately impacted by a lack of access to appropriate healthcare. This study explored consumer and carer perspectives on existing mental and physical healthcare in rural and regional areas, and on the forms of support they valued across clinical, allied health, and lived experience workforces. Sixty people took part in focus groups and interviews: 32 people with mental and physical health concerns identified as consumers, 21 family members, friends, or other informal supporters identified as carers, and 7 participants identified as both consumers and carers. We identified the following themes: fragmentation in health services, need for holistic support, experience of being cared about, and power and advocacy. The key finding was that participants had a strong preference for working with professionals who would act in line with their wishes, and therefore valued peer workers who offer lived experience expertise in this role. Our study suggests that participants found it difficult to have their healthcare needs met when working directly with both mental and physical health focussed clinicians, including allied health workers. These findings support the role of lived experience expertise in healthcare. The findings also suggest the need for reform in physical healthcare provision to prevent and address barriers, particularly stigma and discrimination.