Working with the Independent Sector and Managing Out of Area Treatments Available to Purchase

Successive government policies over the past 15 years have encouraged the growth of the independent sector (not for profit and for profit) and its involvement in the delivery of mental health care. Not for profit and for profit sectors are currently working both alongside and in competition with NHS provider organisations. How all parts of the service system interconnect will in future be crucial for service users and carers. This paper describes the developmental approach in response to many of these issues by agencies in the West Midlands.