In January 2000, the Audit Commission published a report on mental health services for older people entitled Forget-me-not. The report set out the Commission's analysis of the state of these services, based on visits to 12 areas, and made 17 key recommendations. Since its publication, auditors appointed by the Audit Commission have been carrying out local audits of mental health services for older people, using a methodology based on Forget Me Not in a much wider range of areas in England and Wales. This has allowed the Commission to assemble a much fuller information base. This update reports the findings for England; a separate paper reports the findings for Wales, where there is a different set of policies.
Very wide variations in practice and provision of mental health services for older people across England were found. Many areas have a lot to do to implement the NSF. This update indicates the magnitude of the task ahead in an area of rapid change. It highlights for managers and practitioners where they should concentrate their efforts