Institutions and services of psychiatric care in Saxony-Anhalt: assessment with the European Services Mapping Schedule.

This article describes and analyses the availability of outpatient, inpatient and community-based psychiatric care in Saxony-Anhalt, one of the federal states in the eastern part of Germany. The European Services Mapping Schedule was used to classify 365 institutions. Outpatient care was provided by an average of four private practice psychiatrists per 100,000 inhabitants, which is low when compared to the German average. Ten secure beds (forensic), 48 acute beds, 13 elective beds and 13 day hospital places per 100,000 inhabitants were available for inpatient care. Non-acute non-hospital residential services with indefinite stay and with 24 h support amounted to 240 places per 100,000, with regional differences ranging from less than 100 to more than 1000. Other facilities offering paid work or work-related activities were scarce and some services providing structured activity or social contact were available only in urban agglomerations. Overall, psychiatric care in Saxony-Anhalt is fragmented as regards providers and funding.