Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T16:30:12.540Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Responsibility and accountability in community mental health teams

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Steve Onyett*
Affiliation:
Centre for Mental Health Services Development, Kings College London, Campden Hill Road, London W8 7AH
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Community mental health teams are handicapped by long-standing ambiguities about responsibility and accountability. Professional responsibilities need to be separated from practitioner's responsibilities as employees, and clear lines of accountability established accordingly. This requires stronger delegated operational management responsibility at team level. Greater attention should be paid to defining shared, core responsibilities among team practitioners employed by health and social services. These are here defined as ‘care coordinating’ responsibilities and provide a means of reconciling the care programme approach and care management into coherent practice.

Type
Original Papers
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1995

References

Audini, B., Marks, I. M., Lawrence, R. E., Connolly, J. & Watts, V. (1994) Home-based versus out-patient/in-patient care for people with serious mental illness. Phase II of a controlled study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 165, 204210.Google Scholar
British Psychological Society (1986) Responsibility Issues in Clinical Psychology and Multidisciplinary Teamwork. Leicester BPS.Google Scholar
Department of Health & Social Security (1980) Organisational and Management Problems of Mental Illness Hospitals. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1990) Community Care in the Next Decade and Beyond. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Department of Health/Social Services Inspectorate (1991) Care Management and Assessment managers guide. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Galvin, S. W. & McCarthy, S. (1994) Multi-disciplinary community teams: clinging to the wreakage. Journal of Mental Health, 3, 167174.Google Scholar
Mental Health Nursing Review Team (1994) Working in Partnership. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Mental Health Act Commission (1993) Fifth Biennial Report 1991–1993. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Merson, S., Tyrer, P., Onyett, S., Lack, S. et al. (1992) Early intervention in psychiatric emergencies: a controlled clinical trial, Lancet, 339, 13111314.Google Scholar
Morris, D. & Davidson, L. (1992) Community mental health centres in a changing environment. Journal of Mental Health, 1, 295299.Google Scholar
NHS Management Executive (1994a) Introduction of Supervision Registers for Mentally Ill People from 1 April 1994. HSG(94)5. HMSO.Google Scholar
NHS Management Executive (1994b) Guidance on the Discharge of Mentally Disordered People and Their Continuing Care in the Community. HSG(94)27. HMSO.Google Scholar
North, C. & Ritchie, J. (1993) Factors Influencing the Implementation of the Care Programme Approach. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Onyett, S. (1992) Case Management in Mental Health. London: Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
Onyett, S. & Davenport, S. (1994) Care programming and care management in Rochester. Community Care Management and Planning, 1, 116123.Google Scholar
Onyett, S., Tyrer, P., Connolly, J., Malone, S. et al. (1990) The Early Intervention Service: the first 18 months of an inner London demonstration project. Psychiatric Bulletin, 14, 267269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Onyett, S., Heppleston, T. & Bushnell, D. (1994) A national survey of community mental health teams. Journal of Mental Health, 3, 175194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ovretveit, J. (1993) Coordinating Community Care: multidisciplinary teams and care management. Buckingham: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Ritchie, J., Dick, D. & Lingham, R. (1994) Report of the Christopher Clunis Enquiry, London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Stein, L. I. (1992) On the abolishment of the case manager. Health Affairs, Fall, 172177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.