THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE CENTRE FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES DEVELOPMENT TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR OLDER PEOPLE IN THE UK

✍ Scribed by COLIN GODBER; PATRICIA HOLMES; EDWARD PECK

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 477 KB
• Volume: 11
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-6230
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-1166(199611)11:11<1011::aid-gps401>3.0.co;2-n

✦ Synopsis

A COMMITMENT TO CHANGE

The commitment to developing mental health services away from their traditional institutional base into the community is now widespread and old age psychiatry has been prominent in that process.

Recognizing the magnitude of the task in many districts, in 1991 the Department of Health for England established The Centre for Mental Health Services Development (CMHSD) as a source of long-term assistance to local managers and professionals responsible for developing increasingly locally based services. Some financial support was provided during the first 3 years. There had been concern within the Royal College of Psychiatrists about some of the projects with which the CMHSD was involved during its first 2 years. Following the resignation of the first director in 1993 and the appointment of Edward Peck as director in April, 1994 the CMHSD has embarked on a new phase and this article describes the role of the CMHSD under his leadership.