Integration of hospital and community services—the ‘686 Project’—is a crucial component in the reform of China's mental health services

doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1002-0829.2012.03.007 Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China Correspondence: [email protected] Prior to 2005 China’s mental health services were provided in the same manner as the other types of health services in the country. The hospital was the center of the service delivery network so medical staff only provided services to those who came to the hospital and there was no continuity between hospital services and community services. This delivery system did not provide preventive services and was not flexible enough to meet the changing needs of patients as they recovered from chronic illnesses. Mental health services also suffered from severe understaffing, the limited range of professionals who provided services (primarily doctors and nurses) and poor facilities. These problems made it very difficult to meet the mental health needs of the nation, particularly the needs of those with severe mental illnesses.[1,2]