The Integration of Flexible Assertive Community Treatment with District Social Support Service Teams for Patients with Severe Mental Illness in the Netherlands: A Qualitative Analysis of Team Members’ Experiences

Abstract

Introduction: To promote recovery of individuals with severe mental illness and reduce fragmentation of care, network partners collaborated to develop a cross-domain, multi-agency approach by integrating Flexible Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) teams with municipal District Social Services (DSS), referred to as FACT+DSS teams. Aim: To describe how team members experienced the implementation of the FACT+DSS teams by team members, including perceived effects on various themes such as service delivery, network collaboration, the target population, and facilitators and barriers to implementation. Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews (N = 15) was conducted to explore the experiences of team members in two new FACT+DSS teams in the Netherlands using thematic analysis. Results: The FACT+DSS approach was experienced to improve service access, continuity of care, case-finding and client enrolment (care-avoiders), time efficiency for team members, and strengthen network collaboration. Identified barriers and facilitators underlined the importance of strong leadership, ownership, equality, direct relationships, and professional expertise. Conclusion: Participants experienced the FACT+DSS approach as a highly positive development, improving network collaboration and recovery-oriented care for clients. Our findings may contribute to the development and implementation of FACT (and related practices) as an integrated multi-agency approach.