Psychiatric Bulletin (2000) 24: 438. doi: 10.1192/pb.24.11.438-a
© 2000 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Psychiatric Bulletin (2000) 24: 438
© 2000 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Managing Mental Health Services
By Amanda Reynolds & Graham Thornicroft
David Kingdon, Professor of Mental Health Care Delivery
University of Southampton, Royal South Hampshire Hospital, Brinton's
Terrace, Southampton, Hants SO14 0YG
Abingdon: Open University Press. 1999. 170 pp. £16.99 (pb);
£50.00 (hb). ISBN 0-335-19833-3 (pb); 0-335-19834-1 (hb)
Managing mental health services seems a bit of a contradiction in terms
really. Patients' needs and demands pull in one direction and government
policies, such as the National Service Framework and Clinical Governance, seem
to be pulling in the other, with homicide inquiries just pulling us down. With
restrictions on resources, especially of trained staff, management can seem to
be like organising the bailing out of the Titanic using buckets. But
Reynolds and Thornicroft make a brave attempt at describing what it is
possible to do.
Since this book was published, as they predict, change has occurred at such
a rate that parts are inevitably looking dated (for example, Clinical
Governance and the Framework, developed under Thornicroft's chairmanship).
However, these authors have at least been in a good position to predict the
likely and considerable demands arising from these developments and take them
into account in their advice.
The book is clear, concise and readable. It is also brief and basic, but it
does provide signposts to relevant literature. It is a valuable introduction
to the subject, although it skirts around some of the most problematic
management issues, such as those involving the relationship between doctors
and managers and other mental health workers. Creative management of beds and
other resources, recruitment and the development of integrated
counselling/psychotherapy networks are also key issues that are not considered
— as is how to avoid spending all your time in meetings and working
groups without seeming inaccessible and arrogant.
Skim it, read it, buy it, but whatever you do, look at the cartoons (from
Private Eye): they're great.
