Workshop 5 Facts about FACT (a Dutch Version of Assertive Community Treatment): Theory, implementation, practice and evaluation

Diana Polhuis, Department of innovation of Care, The Mental Health Care Services ‘GGZ Noord Holland Noord”, Heiloo, The Netherlands

Abstract:

The workshop leader presents the FACT model (Function ACT or Flexible ACT). FACT is a rehabilitation oriented clinical case management team with partly an individual approach and partly a shared caseload approach. It is based on the ACT model, but is more flexible and able to serve a broader range of SMI with continuity of care. Where ACT focuses on the 20% most unstable SMI, FACT focuses on all the SMI in an area or neighbourhood. This gives opportunities for continuity of care and social inclusion. FACT teams routinely perform outcome measurement as a part of the individual treatment planning. Symptoms, functioning and QUOL are assessed with the HoNOS (Wing a.o. 1998) and MANSA (Priebe a.o. 1999).

We will discuss the model, some challenging problems in implementation, the daily practice and the outcome evaluation and first steps to model fidelity. We hope to challenge our colleagues with some questions and to reflect on our model.

Some topics of discussion will be:

Theory of ACT and FACT, model description
How to support individual caseworkers to start as workers in a shared cased-load team
How to implement recovery, treatment and EBM (like IPS and CBT) in one team
The importance of Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment in FACT
FACT teams being a part of a 'transmural circuit' with inpatient facilities
Which factors have stimulated successful implementation; what were difficulties
Working as a nurse in a multidisciplinary FACT team
Working with former patients as co-workers (workers of experience)
Routine Outcome Monitoring: feedback on individual and system level with MANSA and HoNOS
FACTS, a new version of the DACTS, preliminary results with a new fidelity scale
Centre for Certification of ACT and FACT: www.ccaf.nl
Comments from the USA (Bond & Drake)

At the conclusion of this workshop participants should be able to reflect on theory, implementation, practice and evaluation of FACT: the Dutch version of Assertive Community Treatment. Participants discuss actively the possible (dis)advantages of FACT and possible choices the combine ACT and FACT teams in one mental health care system focussed on continuity of care, 'transmural care' and recovery oriented treatment and care. What lessons are there for the US from the Dutch experience?

Source of Funding: N/A

Level of Funding: N/A