Community mental health teams: development in community care

This article discusses research undertaken in an area of South Wales on the functioning of community mental health teams, which took place during the closure of two large psychiatric hospitals and the development of the Welsh Office strategy for mental illness. Key findings relate to the lack of clarity of the role of team coordinators, the absence of individual performance review systems, the diversities in referral systems and caseloads. An attempt was made to develop a performance matrix in relation to individual teams.