A Day Hospital's Function in a Mental Health Service

Abstract

Despite a great increase in day care over the last decade, the use of day hospital facilities as the hub of a mental health service has not been fully realized. This paper describes the setting-up of a day hospital which had such ambitions and also notes features of the patients admitted, their treatment and its outcome. Results suggest that day hospitals might well provide for a wider range of patients than they generally cater for at present. If it is well-staffed, community orientated, and incorporates in-patient facilities, such a unit possesses many advantages for modern psychiatric practice in an urban area.