Evaluating quality in mental health services: contexts and issues

Quality in healthcare services is neither a simple nor an apolitical issue. Quality is a complex concept and how it is defined and measured has import ant consequences for services. This article explores some of the issues whi ch arise when the notions of 'quality' and 'mental health' are discussed to gether. Mental health services contribute to the regulation and maintenance of social order. The article particularly focuses upon the changing role o f service users in quality assurance methods and argues for a new approach.