Mental health care in and around the general hospital

The reform of the mental health care exerts an impact on the functioning of the PAAZ, the psychiatric services in the general hospitals. In 2000, .,PAAZOverleg Vlaanderen" published a mission statement entitled .,From the psychiatric ward to the psychiatric service": emergency psychiatry, short-term in-patient treatment, liaison psychiatry and outpatient care were described as the four key elements of the PAAZ. In the .,Guide to a better mental health care by the realization of care circuits and units", the Belgian governments stimulated an imperative reform towards a better regional integration of all existing mental health providers. The PAAZ considers it crucial to take part in this regional integration all over the country. As a matter of fact, this integration can be seen as the fifth key element in the way they function; thus, it must be based and organized on the local needs. Quality mental health care in and out the hospital remains the ultimate focus.