Table 1 Example of codes, subthemes and theme

Pioneers of service development

Unclear who leads the IPS implementation

Someone else should do the implementation work.

We wish we could call IPSNOR so they could come and do the [implementation] work for us.

Expected more to be ready before start.

Some things should have been ready before they applied for employment specialists. The advertisement did not say anything about leading the implementation.

The managers should join IPS seminars. They are the decision makers.

If we shall find solutions, it is a problem that we don’t have our leaders at these seminars because I don’t make decisions.

IPS services need to be developed at each site based on local capacities and conditions.

Want directives on how to establish IPS.

I want directives on how to do this [the implementation] so I can stop spending time and energy on getting new routines all the time.

Work different based on where they are employed.

There are differences on how we work based on who is paying our salary. It should not be like this. We are being fidelity reviewed based on the same criteria, but our prerequisites are different.

Wish for national guidelines on documentation in patient records.

It should be decided from the departments: everyone that works with IPS should have access to these tools and documents.

Local differences

We live in a small community. We cannot work in the same ways as in big cities.