Are CMHTs abandoning chronic cases?

It would be helpful if Dr Singh (2000) would clarify his brief comments on what he refers to as the “backlog of chronic cases” and the primacy of throughput for community mental health teams. He seems to be arguing that community services have little to offer long-term patients and to support the diversion of resources away from them. It will be sad indeed if in the new millennium community services reimpose the second-class status, low expectations and unimaginative services for so-called chronic cases that characterised institutions in the last century. This was and is entirely inappropriate, in view of their illness courses and capacity for improved quality of life (Reference AbrahamsonAbrahamson, 1993); with appropriate approaches even the most long-term can stimulate community teams and improve morale (Reference Abrahamson and Fellow-SmithAbrahamson & Fellow-Smith, 1991).