Improving community services for serious mental disorders

Abstract

We studied 6 new ‘comprehensive’ Community Mental Health Teams and assessed benefits they introduced for people with serious mental disorders. This clientele was most likely to benefit when the catchment's established long-term caseloads were transferred to the new team very early on and when planners had stipulated provision of a day unit. A powerful influence to the detriment of this clientele was staff preference for clients without indicators of serious mental disorder.