Summary
This paper describes a survey of British Community Mental Health Centres (CMHCs). CMHCs are by far the most visible manifestation of the implementation of community mental health care policies of the 1980s. While these centres have demonstrated achievements in terms of accessibility, co-ordination and responsiveness to clients, they have also been bedevilled by ambiguity. The vast majority of CMHCs aim to serve the needs of all forms of mental illness within their catchment area, yet in practice, they have frequently failed to meet the needs of people with long term severe disorders and concentrate instead on providing assessment and counselling services for neurotic and transient situational disorders. It appears that this is a function of an early failure of multidisciplinary teams to delineate boundaries and priorities. If the British CMHC movement sharpens its focus and combines this with a determination to address the complexities involved in both rationing and enhancing choice, it could begin to improve upon rather than simply repeat the history of similar developments in America.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Boardman AP, Bouras N, Watson JP (1986) Evaluation of a Community Mental Health Centre. Acta Psychiatr Belg 86: 402–406
Boardman AP, Bouras N, Cundy J (1987) The Mental Health Advice Centre in Lewisham. Service Usage: Trends from 1978–1984. RDP, London
Borus JF (1978) Issues critical to the survival of community mental health. Am J Psychiatry 135: 1029–1035
Brewis RK (1989) Research study—mental health need in Partington. Mental Health Social Work Research Unit, University of Manchester, Manchester
Burt M, Pittman K (1985) Testing the social safety net. Washington DC, Urban Institute
Caring for People (1989) Community care in the next decade and beyond. HMSO Cm 849, London
Clare A (1980) Community Mental health Centres. J R Soc Med 73: 75–76
Clifford P, Craig T, Sayce L (eds) (1988) Towards co-ordinated care. RDP, London
Dass S, Sayce L, Clifford P (1990) Service developments for people with long-term mental ill health. A National Survey. RDP, London
DHSS (1975) Better services for the mentally ill. HMSO, London
DHSS (1985) Government Response to the Second Report from the Social Services Committee, 1984–85 Session. HMSO cmnd. 9674, London
Echlin R (1988) Community Mental Health Centres/Teams, Information Pack. GPMH and Inter-disciplinary Association of Mental health Workers. GPMH, London
Fink PJ, Weinstein SP (1979) Whatever happened to psychiatry? The de-professionalization of Community Mental Health Centers. Am J Psychiatry 136: 406–409
Glassman D, (1990) Cash Crisis Scuppers Health Authority Development Plans. Health Service J 100: 452
Goldie N, Pilgrim D, Rogers A (1989) Community Mental Health Centres. Policy and Practice. GPMH, London
Good Practices in Mental Health (1985) Community Mental Health Centres and Teams—contact list. GPMH, London
Huxley P (1988) Community Mental Health Centres. An analytic review of the literature. Mental Health Social Work Research Unit, University of Manchester, Manchester
Kelly J (1989) Madness on the doorstep, Evening Standard, 31 October, London
Lister R (1989) Letter to the editor. Guardian 25 May 1989, London McAusland T (ed) (1985) Planning and Monitoring Community Mental Health Centres. King's Fund Centre, London
McAusland T, Wibaut A (1988) Mental health matters. Evaluation of the Tiverton Community Mental Health Team. Exeter Health Authority, Exeter
Mollica RF (1983) The threatened disintegration of public psychiatry. N Engl J Med 308: 367–373
National Health Service and Community Care Bill (1990) Presented by Mr Secretary Clarke. HMSO, London
Pardes H, Stockdill JW (1984) Survival Strategies for Community Mental Health Services in the 1980s. Hosp Community, Psychiatry 35: 127–132
Peck E (1990) Myth and Reality. Health Service J: 365
Sharfstein SS (1978) Will Community Mental Health survive in the 1980s. Am J Psychiatry 135: 1363–1365
Turner JC, Tenhoor WJ (1978) The NIMH Community Support Program: pilot approach to a needed social reform. Schizophr Bull 4: 319–344
Working for Patients (1989) The Health Service: caring for the 1990's. HMSO Cm 555, London
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sayce, L., Craig, T.K.J. & Boardman, A.P. The development of Community Mental Health Centres in the U.K.. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 26, 14–20 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00783575
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00783575