ABSTRACT
The National Mental Health Development Unit is the agency charged with supporting the implementation of mental health policy in England by the Department of Health in collaboration with the National Health Service, local authorities and other major stakeholders. In 2002, a practice guide was published, which described the principles of integrated treatment, mainstreaming, co–working and local strategic developments. The notion that local determinants, such as a joint needs analysis of local populations would lead to the nature and format of a response to mental health–substance use problems, was implicit. The National Dual Diagnosis Programme adopted a practical approach to supporting regional developments in mental health–substance use, and was interested to clarify what professionals and individuals using services felt was required at the clinical interface to improve services for the individual, family and carers. Mental health–substance use is everyone's responsibility and everyone's business.
