Day hospitals: The case in favour

The day hospital constitutes an integral and valued component of the old age psychiatry service provided by the majority of units in the United Kingdom. Changes in the political climate, vogues for alternative forms of care provision and a lamentable lack of hard evidence that day hospitals present the best use of resources have led to serious questioning of their future by most who have written in recent years on the subject. The issue should not be ‘day hospitals are wonderful; other systemls are not’ (or vice versa), but that the day hospital should be seen as an available option with its own particular benefits alongside other hospital‐based and community components of a good service. Advocates of day hospitals should continually review staffing mix and structure to ensure the best use of professional skills.