| As models of care for individuals with serious and persistent mental illness have shifted away from institutionalized treatment towards community-based services, the need to ensure a continuum of integrated supports has been well documented. This action research project examined the relationship between two organizationally separate services (a general hospital inpatient psychiatric unit and a community mental health team) operating in the same economically and culturally diverse neighbourhood of a large Canadian city.;Using a process of dialogue, professional and administrative team members from both services came together to review the nature of their current working relationships and systems, and to define a vision of a future model of closer partnership. Conclusions and recommendations are based upon a three-part model of partnership: laying the foundations for joint working, working towards an agreed shared vision, and the successful implementation of the required organizational change. |
