COMMUNITY CARE SERVICES FOR THE MENTALLY-ILL - CONSUMERS VIEWS

In this study a broadly representative sample of clients in the City o f Westminster, receiving Care in the Community for reasons of mental i ll-health, were interviewed regarding their experiences of, and levels of satisfaction with, services provided. The results reveal the vulne rability of services users, the benefits of community care, the high r egard the majority have for their helpers, the limitations imposed by scarce resources, and the negative effects of only loose co-ordination between health and social services. Respondents also provide a rich s ource of data on how services might be improved.