Implications of bed reduction in an acute psychiatric service.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of psychiatric inpatient bed closures, accompanied by a training program aimed at enhancing team effectiveness and incorporating data-driven practices, in a mental health service.

Design And Setting: Retrospective comparison of the changes in services within three consecutive financial years: baseline period - before bed reduction (2006-07); observation period - after bed reduction (2007-08); and intervention period - second year after bed reduction (2008-09). The study was conducted at Cramond Clinic, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide.