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As of 31.12.1990, the employment of bed-days and admissions was calculated for patients who had been connected with a district psychiatric centre for more than three years. A before-and-after comparison revealed a percentage reduction in the employment of bed-days as compared with a control group. This corresponds to the findings in other investigations. In the before-and-after analysis, various reductions are described according to the diagnostic groups. The reduction in bed-day employment consisted mainly of fewer readmissions and reduction in the group of long-term hospitalisations. A reduction also occurred in the group of patients who could characterized as least ill. In this group, a marked percentage reduction in bed-days was observed as compared with the control group and this was probably due to the good and continuous treatment after discharge offered by the district psychiatric centre. This investigation revealed that the employment of bed-days for a patient population receiving district psychiatric treatment after discharge can be reduced. Nevertheless, the most severely ill patients will still require periodic admission to hospital. The value of treatment after discharge of the "Svendborg Model" type does not provide scientifically valid arguments that hospital admission can be avoided where the most severely ill patients are concerned.