The exclusion of services for older people from the Mental Health National Service Framework and the delays in publication of the National Service Framework for the elderly have caused many old age psychiatrists to be concerned that, as in many other areas of health service planning and provision, the needs of older people are not being adequately addressed by Government and health service planners. The recent Audit Commission Report, entitled Forget Me Not: Mental Health Services for Older People † , gives us much encouragement that the needs of older adults have not been forgotten. Its recent publication should provide an authoritative focus, which will help old age psychiatrists, their multi-disciplinary and management colleagues and commissioners of services to push forward improvements in services for older people with mental illnesses.
Benbow et al. (2000) studied this question.