Principles of service provision in old age psychiatry
This chapter outlines the history, underlying principles and policy context for contemporary mental health services for older people. The usual components of such services, including community health teams, memory assessment services, day facilities, consultation-liaison services in general hospitals, and in-patient psychiatric care for older people are all discussed. Alongside these more familiar elements however, there have been other recent, sometimes destabilising, changes, including moves towards age-inclusive services and changes in working patterns for psychiatrists and other professionals. Working closely with primary care, greater integration with social services and providing support to care homes are all part of the current agenda. It is important to measure the quality of services and to ensure the populations who may be disadvantaged receive fair access to effective care and treatment. Obviously, the future increase in the numbers of very old people brings both challenges and opportunities for old age psychiatry services.