Table 1.

Work style of modified ACT team compared to standard care

Modified ACT team		Community mental health team
Overall patient load	80-100 patients	± 600 patients excluding assessments of new patients
Individual caseload	Maximum 35	250
Workstyle	Key workers act as care coordinator but caseloads are shared	Individual caseloads
Site of most visits	>50% contacts are home visits	Office based
Engagement	Assertive; focus on engagement, immediate response to non-compliance	Non-assertive, no follow-up of missed appointments/reports of non-compliance
Working hours	Office hours	Office hours
24 hour cover	Patients referred to hospital-based after-hours service coordinated by ACT when in crisis.	After-hours service of catchment area.
Frequency of contacts	Individualized according to patient need at least fortnightly	Depends on caseloads, varies between monthly to three monthly.
Disciplines available	Full-time psychiatrist, social worker, Psychiatric nurse, access to psychologist, occupational therapist, dual diagnosis service.	Full-time psychiatric nurse, access to social worker and psychiatrist, varied access to occupational therapist and psychologist.