Physical and Mental Health

This chapter emphasizes that innovation has often been driven by individual clinical champions working, at least initially, in relative isolation from the rest of the system. To be sustainable, the work of these clinical innovators needs to receive support from senior leaders within local organisations, and must be reinforced by consistent messages from this leadership. A powerful catalyst for cultural change is direct contact between professionals working in different parts of the system—specifically, those traditionally responsible for physical health and those specialising in mental health. Given this, the service models which have the greatest potential may be those which combine direct clinical work with joint supervision and educational functions, creating opportunities for skills transfer between mental and physical health care professionals.