Partnership and privacy – tension or settlement? The case of adult mental health services

Mental health is a good example of a field where imperatives for partnership or collaborative working can be in tension with those for client confidentiality. Both imperatives have been reinforced by additional regulation in recent years, in response to major inquiries. Professionals face the dilemma that either sharing clients’ or patients’ information or not sharing it could lead to outcomes for which they might be blamed; any rule adopted risks one or other type of error. This article examines two cases from a larger interview-based study of how local organisations are trying practically to reconcile these competing pressures.