Mental health care reforms in Britain and Italy since 1950: a cross-national comparative study

This paper discusses a cross-national comparative study, which compares the implementation and geographical outcomes of mental health reforms in Britain and Italy since 1950. Working within a cross-national framework, the research adopts a sensitivity to the role of place by exploring the social and spatial restructuring of mental health care service provision in two localities - Sheffield and Verona. By focusing upon the local experiences of mental health care reform, the research strives to gain a clearer understanding of why local geographies of mental health care provision appear to vary across space, both within national boundaries and across them.