ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the differences in patient access to public and private sector psychiatric care and discusses the motivating factors which account for these variations. It reviews the respective contributions of the public and private sectors in the sphere of mental health and addresses the issue of whether a pluralistic approach to the provision of mental health care currently exists. The study of Stockton Hall showed the most obvious differences from the Hutton Unit and the Norvic Clinic in respect of the fact that it was prepared to admit patients classed as ‘unmanageable’ or those rejected by their parent facilities. In terms of the respective contributions of the public and private sectors in the field of medium secure psychiatric care, broadly speaking, Regional Secure Units like the Hutton Unit and the Norvic Clinic are fulfilling the role for which they were intended.
