Assertive Outreach in Mental Health: A Manual for Practitioners
Author(s): Tom Burns (Author), Mike Firn (Contributor)
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication Date: 20 Jun. 2002
Language: English
Print length: 356 pages
ISBN-10: 0198516150
ISBN-13: 9780198516156
Book Description
Assertive Outreach is the treatment of choice for the severely mentally ill in the community. It involves taking services to the patients rather than requiring them to attend hospitals and clinics. The model is one of a high staff-to-patient ratio offering comprehensive health and social care. Assertive Outreach is a targetted and refined application of the existing practice of community mental health teams- an evolution of community policy rather than a revolutionary change. Research evidence and outcome data suggests it results in reduced hospitalizations, promotes effective engagement with difficult patients and improves patient wellbeing. As a policy, it has been implemented successfully in Australia, the USA and Europe, and it is now adopted nationally in the UK. This book will equip all members of the multidisplinary Assertive Outreach team with a clear understanding of the essential processes and interventions involved. Tom Burns and Mike Firn are pioneers in this field and have been running an Assertive Outreach team for seven years. They have been awarded Beacon status by the UK Department of Health to reflect their excellence, and are heavily involved in teaching others setting out on the same path.
Editorial Reviews
Review
The authors have produced a clear and readable text which dispenses good practical information . . . This book will be invaluable to practitioners and students alike and should be considered essential reading for anyone working in or alongside assertive outreach services. (British Journal of Occupational Therapy)
Burns and Firn’s book is a comprehensive guide to assertive outreach practice, and is essential reading for anyone working in this specialism. (
Red Journal)
Assertive outreach is a central plank of the government’s mental health care reforms, yet we still lack any clear definition of its role in relation to other forms of care. Burns and Firn’s book is thus very timely. (
Mental Health Today)
. . . the strength of the book lies in its open and honest discussion of the problems that are faced by mental health professionals working in community settings. The authors set out to reflect issues that concern multidisciplinary teams on a day-to-day basis, and this is exactly what they have succeeded in doing. The book is filled with interesting observations and sound advice. (
Psychological Medicine, 33)
About the Author
Tom Burns is in the Department of Psychiatry, St George’s Hospital Medical School, London UK. Mike Firn is on the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team, Garratt Court, Furmage Street, London UK.
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