Organisation and Practice of Crisis Resolution Teams in Adult Mental Health Services in Norway: A National Survey

Crisis resolution teams (CRTs), which aim to reduce acute admissions to mental health inpatient units, have been the subject of studies on practice, effects and service user experiences. However, such studies involve a limited proportion of the CRTs. National surveys are necessary to understand the large-scale implementation of CRTs. The aims of this survey were to describe the organisation and practices of Norwegian CRTs as reported by team managers. An online questionnaire was sent to team managers of all 56 CRTs in mental health services for adults in Norway in 2013. The response rate was 100%. Findings were compared to national recommendations for CRTs in Norway and to findings from a similar survey in England. CRTs were available for 90% of the Norwegian adult population. Significant variations in team composition and practices indicated differences in CRT services provided across teams, and CRTs were not assigned the role of gatekeeping acute inpatient admissions. Unlike in England, Norwegian CRTs served a broader range of service users than just those who would otherwise require admission to an acute mental health inpatient unit. CRTs showed partial adherence to national recommendations and even less compared to English CRTs and the CRT model in international literature. High adherence to the CRT model would require more specific national recommendations, adequate staffing and training, and for CRTs to be given the resources and authority to act as gatekeepers for acute inpatient admissions.