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Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) have been introduced as an alternative to hospital-based treatment. Their effectiveness and the factors that may influence it have not yet been fully investigated. According to Belbin's theory, a team is more effective if its members have diverse roles. The aim of this study was to investigate if there is an association between CMHTs' effectiveness and Belbin's team role balance. Participants were members of eight CMHTs. The data collected were demographics (age, gender), discipline, years of experience, and team tenure. Also, the following scales were administered: the Belbin Team Role Self-Perception Inventory (SPI) and team effectiveness scale (TES). One hundred and six members participated. A significant correlation between team role diversity and effectiveness was found. Multilevel analysis showed that role diversity and being a doctor were the only two significant independent predictors of team effectiveness. Belbin's theory is therefore applicable to CMHTs. The more diverse roles the members of a team have, the better the effectiveness of the team. Given that roles can be modified, team leaders need to be aware of the members' roles and be able to modify them. Thus, they can increase the effectiveness of their teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) are increasingly being considered effective models of recovery focused care, however their effectiveness and factors that may affect it have not fully evaluated. Cross-sectional study in Ireland included 106 members from 8 CMHTs. We examined CMHT's effectiveness and the effects of authentic leadership, team cohesion, team members' experience and team tenure on effectiveness, by administering the Team Effectiveness Scale, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, and Organizational Cohesion Scale. Data on demographics, discipline, years of experience, tenure in the same team, full or partial membership, and number of team members were collected. Results from multilevel regression analysis indicated significant association (p < 0.05) between effectiveness of CMHTs and factors including team cohesion, authentic leadership, size of the team and full membership. Therefore, to increase CMHTs effectiveness, interventions are needed to those areas: a switch to make leadership styles more authentic, to improve team cohesion, smaller team size and full membership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International mental health policy recommends that community-based mental health care is the optimal service provision marking a distinct departure from institutions. In Ireland, it is envisioned that this care be provided by Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs), where multidisciplinary health professionals all play a key role in promoting client mental wellbeing. However, recent reports indicate that implementation of the community-based care approach has been less than optimal. This research explored CMHTs' perspectives and experience of community-based care; it also examined their awareness of specific key performance indicators (KPIs) that can monitor their provision of care. A total of 738 health professionals working in 70 CMHTs across the nation were surveyed. The results indicated little multidisciplinary input from CMHTs in the provision of mental health care. In addition, the findings indicated that having clear KPIs did not represent a priority for a large number of respondents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]