The mixed economy of psychiatric reprovision

<p>In Britain today a great many agencies and professions are actively involved in mental health care delivery, funded from a<p><p>variety of sources. The 1990 NHS and Community Care Act encouraged the mixed economy by separating purchasers from providers, and by promoting market forces. Community reprovision for former long-stay hospital residents is no exception: there exists a quite vibrant mixed economy of provision, a sometimes complex funding environment, and the growing (if still modest) influence of market forces.

<p><p><p>This book chapter describes how community care ("reprovision") is organised and delivered for the 750 former long-stay<p><p>inpatients who moved (permanently, it was expected) to community placements between 1985 and 1993. Their experiences are discussed under three heads: provision, purchasing and regulation.