A qualitative evaluation of a regional Early Psychosis Service 3 years after its commencement.

Objective: To outline the major findings of a qualitative evaluation of an Early Psychosis Service 3 years after its establishment.

Design: Data to evaluate the service were collected from team meetings, focus groups, individual interviews and questionnaires administered to clinicians, school staff, patients, carers and families.

Setting: Barwon Health; Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Services provide public mental health care to the Geelong, Victoria, region (population 270 000), which is a mixed urban and rural setting.

Readmission to an acute psychiatric unit within 28 days of discharge: identifying those at risk.

Objective: To examine factors that could help identify those most at risk of readmission to an acute psychiatric in-patient unit within 28 days of a discharge.

Method: A detailed file audit was conducted comparing 54 consecutive patients who had been readmitted within 28 days of discharge with 61 patients, chosen at random, who had not been readmitted during the same period.

Results: Readmission within 28-days of discharge was associated with having been admitted in the previous year (P = 0.

Description and qualitative evaluation of Jigsaw, an integrated young persons' mental health program.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe the establishment of an integrated young person's mental health service and the findings of a qualitative evaluation conducted 2 years after its establishment. Method: A qualitative evaluation of the service was undertaken using a semi-structured interview, a service satisfaction survey and partnership analysis tool. Results: The major problems encountered in establishing the service were insufficient recognition of the cultural challenges in working together, difficulty in recruiting general practitioners, establishing a youth friendly environment and maintaining the quality of the relationship between partners.

The evolution of clinical audit as a tool for quality improvement.

Clinical auditing practices are recognized universally as a useful tool in evaluating and improving the quality of care provided by a health service. External auditing is a regular activity for mental health services in Australia but internal auditing activities are conducted at the discretion of each service. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of 6 years of internal auditing activities in a mental health service.