Impact of capacity reductions in acute public-sector inpatient psychiatric services.

Objective: This study tested the hypothesis that reductions in acute public-sector psychiatric inpatient capacity in a major urban area would be associated with negative impacts on patients and the community.

Methods: The impact of two discrete service changes that reduced acute inpatient capacity by 50% in a single public-sector general hospital setting was examined. Indicators of impact were obtained from existing administrative databases for a 33-month period.