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Bull World Health Organ 2020;98:426–430 | doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.19.239913

Lessons from the field

426

Introduction
The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes the devel-
opment of community-based mental health-care services as
part of a balanced care model.1,2 Nevertheless, policy-makers
in many central and eastern European countries have struggled
to develop adequate community mental health services, despite
having national policies for such care provision in place.1,3

Here we present the approach for establishing two com-
munity-based mental health clinics in Latvia.

Local setting
Latvia is a Baltic country with about 2 million inhabitants.
Mental health indicators in Latvia are worse than that of other
European populations. For example, the number of deaths per
100 000 people caused by suicide or intentional self-harm was
16.2 in 2015, compared with 9.8 overall in the WHO European
Region.4 Mental care has traditionally focused on inpatient
care, and the move towards community-based mental health
services has often taken place in response to pressures from
international and human rights organizations.5 For example,
WHO and the health ministry found in 2005 an insufficient
development of services outside of psychiatric hospitals.6 Al-
though the number of psychiatric hospital beds has decreased
from 186 beds per 100 000 population in 2000, to 126 beds
per 100 000 population in 2014, the number is higher than the
European average of 68 beds per 100 000 population.4 In the
capital Riga, with about 641 000 inhabitants, one psychiatric
hospital, the Riga Psychiatry and Narcology Centre, provided
mental care.4

Approach
To tailor service provision to patient needs and to enable
greater continuity of care across outpatient and inpatient set-
tings, the psychiatric hospital directors and chairman of the
board decided in 2002 to establish a community-based clinic
in Riga. Based on hospital statistics, the clinic should provide
care for 4000 to 5000 patients living nearby the clinic, and
therefore the location needed to be sufficiently populated. The
location should also be accessible by public transport and be
in a different administrative district than the hospital.

In 2005, the Veldre clinic started outpatient consultations
and day care admissions after the hospital renovated an un-
used kindergarten building. To promote community integra-
tion and reduction of stigma, the clinic was located next to a
school. Based on the example of the Veldre clinic, a second
clinic, Pardaugava, opened in 2009 as an outpatient clinic after
renovating a rehabilitation facility for substance abusers and
constructing a new building. In 2012, an open-door inpatient
ward with 30 beds was transferred from the psychiatric hospi-
tal to Veldre. Finally, in 2013, Pardaugava opened a day care
clinic and an open-door inpatient ward, transferring 26 beds
from the locked ward at the psychiatric hospital.

To set up the clinics, the hospital managers decided to re-
distribute resources, including psychiatrists, nurses and beds,
from the hospital to the clinics. All relevant staff members were
involved in the planning of the new clinics.

Hospital staff members would keep their jobs but would
have to work at the new locations, full- or part-time. Eventu-
ally, the clinics employed more staff for outpatient care since
the patient load increased. Part-time staff usually work at the
psychiatric hospital for the rest of the week. To ensure conti-
nuity, an outpatient requiring inpatient care is treated by the
same psychiatrist.

a Riga Stradiņš University, Riga Centre of Psychiatry and Narcology, Veldres 1a, Riga, LV 1064, Latvia.
b European Observatory on Health System and Policies, Department of Health Care Management, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Correspondence to Maris Taube (email: taube@latnet.lv).
(Submitted: 20 June 2019 – Revised version received: 4 March 2020 – Accepted: 9 March 2020 – Published online: 21 April 2020 )

Provision of community-based mental health care, Latvia
Maris Taubea & Wilm Quentinb

Problem In Latvia, the move towards community-based mental health-care services has been slow.
Approach The hospital managers of the only psychiatric hospital in Riga decided to establish two community-based clinics that were
financially and administratively integrated with the hospital. The clinics were established using a step-wise approach by redistributing
resources, including psychiatrists, nurses and beds, from the hospital to the new clinics. In 2005, the Veldre clinic started outpatient
consultations and day care admissions. In 2009, Pardaugava clinic opened as an outpatient clinic. In 2012, an open-door inpatient ward
with 30 beds was transferred from the psychiatric hospital to Veldre. In 2013, Pardaugava clinic opened a day care clinic and an open-door
inpatient ward, transferring 26 beds from the psychiatric hospital.
Local setting Latvians have worse mental health indicators than those of the average population in Europe. Mental care has traditionally
focused on inpatient care.
Relevant changes The clinics are now providing most of the outpatient services and the number of inpatients treated at the hospital
has declined from 5696 patients in 2004 to 4957 patients in 2018. Patients are treated in a more open and patient-centred environment.
Lessons learnt The administrative and financial integration of the new community-based clinics within the existing structures of the
hospital is a successful approach. Transferring resources to the clinics seems to have improved the quality of care without requiring additional
funding apart from the initial investment costs. Involving the staff members during the planning phase reduced resistance to the project.

Lessons from the field

427Bull World Health Organ 2020;98:426–430| doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.19.239913

Lessons from the field
Community-based mental health care, LatviaMaris Taube & Wilm Quentin

As special training courses in com-
munity-based mental health care were
unavailable, most community-based
practice skills had to be acquired on
the job. However, continuing education
activities were available. For example,
six times a year the Latvian Psychiatric
Association Conferences provided free
lectures lasting 3–4 hours, covering
topics such as psychiatric rehabilitation,
multidisciplinary team work and role
of art therapies. Furthermore, three to
five senior staff had the opportunity to
visit similar facilities in Finland and the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland.

Patients receive psychiatric outpa-
tient consultations without a referral,
from 8:00 to 18:00, and patients with
more complex needs are admitted for
day care or inpatient care at the clinics.
Admitted patients receive a tailored re-
habilitation and treatment programme,
including cognitive behavioural therapy,
pharmacotherapy, art therapy, ergother-
apy and physiotherapy. The development
of the programme was informed by the
literature and programmes in other
countries. The day care programme fo-
cuses on nonpharmacological treatment,
while inpatient care, which is reserved
for patients with highly complex needs,
focuses on, for example, identifying
medications for treatment. Treatment
is free of charge.

The psychiatric hospital is legally
and financially responsible for the clin-
ics and the directors of the clinics report
to the chairman of the hospital board.
Strong incentives exist at the institu-
tional level to develop outpatient and
day care activities. The inpatient care is
financed based on a global budget, and
funding remains the same over time,
while budgets for outpatient and day
care are determined based on registered
fee-for-service points. With increasing
activity, the increasing outpatient and
day care budget allowed to finance new
positions. Inpatient service provision
at the clinics did not require additional
funding apart from the initial invest-
ments for construction and equipment
of the new facilities, as the inpatient care
budget was simply transferred from the
hospital to the clinics. The total invest-
ment costs were 4.4 million euros (€),
of which € 3.7 million was financial
support from the European Union.
Incentives for outpatient care provi-
sion exist also at the individual level as
psychiatrists (since 2005) and therapists

(since 2019) receive an additional €7
fee-for-service based remuneration for
outpatient visits from the health insur-
ance system.

Relevant changes
In 2019, each clinic had seven psychia-
trists employed on full-time contracts
and four to seven psychiatrists working
six hours per week. Between 2005 and
2013, 43 staff members were transferred
from the hospital to the clinics. In addi-
tion, the clinics have hired 12 psychia-
trists, eight nurses and 27 therapeutic
specialists, either full time or part-time.

The clinics are now providing most
of the outpatient services. In 2018, only
16 310 (29%) of the 55 997 visits took
place in the hospital. Of the remaining
outpatient visits, the Veldre clinic had
18 979 visits and Pardaugava clinic had
20 708 visits. The number of inpatients
treated at the hospital has declined from
5696 patients in 2004 to 4957 patients
in 2018. During the same period, the
total number of inpatient days decreased
from 318 541 days to 164 084 days. In
2018, 15% (886/5843) of inpatients were
treated at the clinics. The number of
patients receiving day care treatment in-
creased from 218 in 2004 to 457 in 2018.

The types of disorders treated by
inpatient care differ between the clin-
ics and the hospital. At the hospital
such care is focused on psychosis and
other mental disorders, while the clin-
ics attract mostly patients with affective
disorders, including depression, anxiety
and bipolar disorders (Table 1).

Limited data are available on the
quality of mental care in Latvia and
quality has not been systematically
monitored.8 However, psychiatrists in
the clinics receive positive feedback
from patients on the continuity of
care. Furthermore, the care provided
at the clinics is much more in line with
international recommendations for a
balanced care approach.1 In addition, the
clinics have piloted an adapted version
of the Psychiatric Inpatient Patient Ex-
perience Questionnaire8 and the results
showed that patients were generally
satisfied with the care they received in
the clinics.9

Lessons learnt
The two clinics have been able to imple-
ment the community-based balanced
care approach, treating patients in a

more open and patient-centred environ-
ment. Patients and their psychiatrists
appreciate this approach and personal
experience of treating psychiatrists
suggests that managing patients in a
day-care setting reduces hospitaliza-
tions. However, demonstrating the effect
of less hospitalization is difficult due to
limited data availability.

Personal motivation of the hospital
managers at the psychiatric hospital
played an important role in the develop-
ment of the clinics. Hospital managers
wanted to be progressive and replace
inpatient care with day care and out-
patient care. Furthermore, health-care
financing principles in Latvia stimulate
the development of outpatient and day
care activity.10

The idea of establishing communi-
ty-based clinics initially met resistance
from psychiatrists and nurses. Staff
members were reluctant to adopt new
practices as these required a different
mindset and new skills, for example,
suicide risk management and dealing
with patients not attending day-care
treatment. In addition, many staff mem-
bers were reluctant to relocate because
of longer commuting time.

However, hospital managers ad-
dressed staff resistance by involving
staff members in the planning process,
by incorporating their suggestions in
designing and equipping the new facili-
ties, and by allowing them to shape the
organization of work. Some staff were
easier to convince of the benefits of
community-based practice. Financial
incentives for the provision of outpatient
care also helped. In addition, some psy-
chiatrists and nurses already lived close
to the new clinics. In 2007, the director
of Pardaugava clinic was elected Presi-
dent of the Latvian Psychiatric Associa-
tion, which contributed to acceptance
of the clinics.

The Latvian experience holds sev-
eral lessons for other countries wishing
to move psychiatric ser vice provi-
sion away from hospitals and towards
community-based care (Box 1). First,
external pressure and recommendations
of international organizations, as well
as external funding can contribute to
developing community-based mental
health services.11 Second, the adminis-
trative and financial integration of the
new clinics within the existing struc-
tures of the hospital and the involve-
ment of clinical staff in the planning
process created a sense of security for

428 Bull World Health Organ 2020;98:426–430| doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.19.239913

Lessons from the field
Community-based mental health care, Latvia Maris Taube & Wilm Quentin

the involved personnel and encouraged
them to support the initiative. Third,
the approach of transferring resources
to a community-based clinic seemed
to improve the quality of care without
requiring additional funding apart from
the initial investment costs. Finally, our
experience shows that incentives of the
financing system are important. The

hard budget constraints for inpatient
care combined with activity-based
funding for outpatient and day care,
coupled with fee-for-ser vice-based
remuneration for treating specialists
created incentives that promoted the
establishment of the clinics and the
expansion of activity.

In 2019, the government adopted
the Plan of Improving Access to Mental
Health Care 2019–2020.10 The plan sug-
gests the creation of seven new commu-
nity-based mental health clinics across
the country, modelled after the clinics
in Riga. The two existing clinics will
provide in-service education for staff of
the new clinics, and the Latvian version
of the quality questionnaire will be used
in other mental health institutions. To
strengthen the community outreach in
Riga, plans exist to enable nurses to do
home visits and family therapies. ■

Competing interests: MT is director of the
Veldre clinic. WQ has no competing
interests.

ملخص
تقديم الرعاية الصحية النفسية املجتمعية، التفيا

النفسية الصحية الرعاية خدمات نحو التحرك كان املشكلة
املجتمعية بطيئًا يف التفيا.

إنشاء رجيا يف الوحيد النفيس املستشفى مديرو قرر األسلوب
عيادتني جمتمعيتني، تم دجمهام ماليًا وإداريًا مع املستشفى. تم إنشاء
العيادات باستخدام هنج متدرج اخلطوات عن طريق إعادة توزيع
من واألرّسة، واملمرضات النفسيني األطباء ذلك يف بام املوارد،

عام يف فيلدري عيادة وبدأت اجلديدة. العيادات إىل املستشفى
2005 تقديم خدمة استشارات العيادات اخلارجية وقبول مرىض
الرعاية النهارية. وتم يف عام 2009 افتتاح عيادة بارداوجافا كعيادة
خارجية. وتم يف عام 2012 نقل جناح مفتوح للمرىض الداخليني
بطاقة 30 رسيرًا، من مستشفى الطب النفيس إىل فيلدري. يف عام
وجناح النهارية، للرعاية بارداوجافا عيادة افتتاح تم ،2013

Table 1. Distribution of mental health diagnoses at the hospital and community-based clinics, Latvia, 2019

Diagnosis (ICD-10 code)a No. of patients (%)

Hospitalb Veldre clinic Pardaugava clinic

Inpatient
n = 4901

Outpatient
n = 5719

Inpatient
n = 425

Outpatient
n = 6061

Inpatient
n = 399

Outpatient
n = 6568

Organic, including
symptomatic, mental disorders
(F0)

1370 (28.0) 1736 (30.4) 60 (14.1) 1869 (30.8) 57 (14.3) 1829 (27.8)

Schizophrenia, schizotypal and
delusional disorders (F2)

2345 (47.8) 2258 (39.5) 140 (32.9) 2234 (36.9) 169 (42.4) 2126 (32.4)

Mood [affective] disorders (F3) 634 (12.9) 715 (12.5) 185 (43.5) 923 (15.2) 159 (39.8) 1091 (16.6)
Neurotic, stress-related and
somatoform disorders (F4)

346 (7.1) 686 (12.0) 38 (8.9) 717 (11.8) 13 (3.3) 1094 (16.6)

Behavioural syndromes
associated with physiological
disturbances and physical
factors (F5)

NA 38 (0.7) NA 42 (0.7) NA 58 (0.9)

Disorders of adult personality
and behaviour (F6)

51 (1.0) 60 (1.0) 2 (0.5) 24 (0.4) 1 (0.3) 65 (1.0)

Mental retardation (F7) 134 (2.7) 226 (4.0) 0 (0.0) 252 (4.2) 0 (0.0) 305 (4.6)
Behavioural and emotional
disorders with onset usually
occurring in childhood and
adolescence (F8)

21 (0.4) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0)

NA: not applicable; ICD: International Classification of Diseases.
a The categories are based on the main diagnostic groups of International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th edition.7
b The Riga Psychiatry and Narcology centre is the only psychiatric hospital in Riga.

Note: Inconsistencies may arise due to rounding.
Source: Riga Psychiatry and Narcology centre.

Box 1. Summary of main lessons learnt

• External pressure by international organizations stimulated national efforts to develop
community-based psychiatric care.

• Financial incentives to support the development of outpatient and day-care settings played
an important role.

• Transferring resources from the hospital to the community-based clinics improved the
quality of care without requiring additional funding.

429Bull World Health Organ 2020;98:426–430| doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.19.239913

Lessons from the field
Community-based mental health care, LatviaMaris Taube & Wilm Quentin

摘要
拉脱维亚提供以社区为基础的心理健康护理
问题 拉脱维亚当前以社区为基础的心理健康护理服务
进展缓慢。
方法 里加唯一一家精神病医院的管理人员决定建立
两个以社区为基础的诊所，这两家诊所的财务与行政
事项纳入医院系统中由医院统一管理。诊所采用逐
步实施的方法建立，将医院中的精神科医生、护士和
床位等资源重新分配给新诊所。2005 年，Veldre 诊所
开始接受门诊咨询和日间入院护理。2009 年，开设
Pardaugava 诊所，该诊所为门诊诊所。2012 年，一间
有 30 张床位的开放式住院病房从精神病院转移到了
Veldre。2013 年，Pardaugava 诊所开设了一家日间护理
诊所和一间开放式住院病房，从精神病医院转移了 26
张床位。

当地状况 拉脱维亚人口心理健康指标低于欧洲人口平
均指标。心理健康护理还是偏传统方式，更侧重于住
院护理。
相关变化 这些诊所现在提供大部分的门诊服务，在
医院接受治疗的住院患者从 2004 年的 5696 人下降到
2018 年的 4957 人。患者在更加开放和以患者为中心
的环境中接受治疗。
经验教训 将这些新社区诊所的财务与行政事项纳入医
院现有结构系统范围内是一种成功的做法。除了初始
投资成本外，将资源转移到诊所似乎改善了护理质量，
且不需要额外的资金。让工作人员参与规划阶段可以
减少项目阻力。

Résumé

Soins de santé mentale communautaires en Lettonie
Problème En Lettonie, l’évolution vers des prestations de soins de santé
mentale communautaires a progressé lentement.
Approche Les dirigeants de l’unique hôpital psychiatrique de Riga
ont décidé de fonder deux cliniques communautaires intégrées
financièrement et administrativement à l’hôpital. Leur création a fait
l’objet d’une approche graduelle de redistribution des ressources,
notamment des psychiatres, infirmiers et lits, depuis l’hôpital vers les
nouvelles cliniques. En 2005, la clinique de Veldre a commencé les
consultations externes et les admissions pour des soins de jour. En 2009,
la clinique externe de Pardaugava a débuté ses activités. En 2012, une
unité d’hospitalisation à régime ouvert comptant 30 lits a été transférée
de l’hôpital psychiatrique vers Veldre. En 2013, la clinique de Pardaugava
a inauguré un établissement de jour et une unité d’hospitalisation à
régime ouvert, récupérant 26 lits de l’hôpital psychiatrique.
Environnement local Les indicateurs de santé mentale en Lettonie
sont inférieurs à la moyenne observée au sein de la population

européenne. Les soins de santé mentale étaient traditionnellement
axés sur l’hospitalisation des patients.
Changements significatifs Les cliniques assurent désormais la plupart
des prestations externes et le nombre d’hospitalisations a diminué,
passant de 5696 patients en 2004 à 4957 patients en 2018. Les patients
sont pris en charge dans un environnement plus ouvert et mieux adapté
à leurs besoins.
Leçons tirées L’intégration administrative et financière des nouvelles
cliniques communautaires au sein des structures hospitalières existantes
est une approche efficace. Le transfert des ressources vers les cliniques
semble avoir amélioré la qualité des soins prodigués sans nécessiter de
fonds supplémentaires, à l’exception de l’investissement initial. Enfin,
impliquer les membres du personnel dans la phase de planification a
permis de limiter la résistance au projet.

Резюме

Оказание психиатрической помощи на уровне общин в Латвии
Проблема В Латвии осуществляется медленный переход к
оказанию психиатрической помощи на уровне общин.
Подход По решению руководства единственной психиатрической
больницы в Риге было создано две клиники на базе общин,
которые являлись частью больницы в административном и
финансовом плане. Клиники создавались с использованием
поэтапного подхода к перераспределению ресурсов, включая
психиатров, медсестер и койко-места, из больницы в новые
клиники. В 2005 году клиника «Вельдре» начала проводить

амбулаторные консультации и принимать пациентов в дневном
стационаре. В 2009 году была открыта амбулаторная клиника в
Пардаугаве. В 2012 году стационарное отделение свободного
режима на 30 койко-мест было переведено из психиатрической
больницы «Вельдре». В 2013 году клиника в Пардаугаве открыла
дневной стационар и стационарное отделение свободного
режима, приняв 26 койко-мест из центральной психиатрической
больницы.

مفتوح للمرىض الداخليني، مع نقل 26 رسيًرا من مستشفى الطب
النفيس.

املواقع املحلية يعاين سكان التفيا من مؤرشات للصحة النفسية
أسوأ من املستوى املتوسط يف أوروبا. تركز الرعاية النفسية بشكل

تقليدي عىل رعاية املرىض الداخليني.
خدمات معظم اآلن العيادات تقدم الصلة ذات التغّيات
تم الذين الداخليني املرىض عدد انخفض كام اخلارجيني، املرىض
عالجهم يف املستشفى من 5696 مريضًا يف عام 2004، إىل 4957

انفتاحًا أكثر بيئة يف املرىض عالج ويتم .2018 عام يف مريضًا
وتركيزًا عىل املريض.

للعيادات واملايل اإلداري التكامل يعترب املستفادة الدروس
أسلوبًا للمستشفى، احلالية اهلياكل ضمن اجلديدة املجتمعية
ناجحًا. ويبدو أن نقل املوارد إىل العيادات قد أدى إىل حتسني جودة
تكاليف عن النظر بغض إضايف متويل إىل احلاجة دون الرعاية
االستثامر األولية. لقد أدى إرشاك أعضاء فريق العمل أثناء مرحلة

التخطيط إىل احلد من مقاومة املرشوع.

430 Bull World Health Organ 2020;98:426–430| doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.19.239913

Lessons from the field
Community-based mental health care, Latvia Maris Taube & Wilm Quentin

Местные условия У жителей Латвии показатели психического
здоровья хуже, чем в среднем для населения Европы.
Психиатрическая помощь традиционно осуществлялась в
основном в стационаре.
Осуществленные перемены В настоящее время к линики
предоставляют большинство амбулаторных услуг, и количество
пациентов в стационаре больницы снизилось с 5696 человек
в 2004 году до 4957 в 2018 году. Пациенты получают лечение
в более свободной и ориентированной на их потребности
атмосфере.

Выводы Административная и финансовая интеграция новых
к линик на базе общин в существующую инфраструктуру
больницы оказалась успешной. Перенос ресурсов в клиники
способс твовал улучшению качес тва обс луживания без
привлечения дополнительного финансирования сверх
первоначальных инвестиций. Вовлечение персонала на этапе
планирования позволило сократить сопротивление реализации
данного проекта.

Resumen

Prestación de servicios de salud mental comunitarios, Letonia
Situación El avance hacia los servicios de atención de la salud mental
comunitarios es muy lento en Letonia.
Enfoque Los gerentes del único hospital psiquiátrico de Riga decidieron
establecer dos clínicas en la comunidad que se integraron financiera
y administrativamente con el hospital. Las clínicas se establecieron
mediante un enfoque gradual, al redistribuir los recursos, incluidos
psiquiatras, enfermeros y camas, del hospital a las nuevas clínicas. En
2005, la clínica de Veldre inició consultas a pacientes ambulatorios y
admisiones para la atención diurna. En 2009, la clínica Pardaugava se
inauguró como una clínica para pacientes ambulatorios. En 2012, una
sala para pacientes hospitalizados con 30 camas fue transferida del
hospital psiquiátrico a Veldre. En 2013, la clínica Pardaugava abrió una
clínica de atención diurna y una sala para pacientes hospitalizados sin
restricciones, en la que se transfirieron 26 camas del hospital psiquiátrico.
Marco regional Los habitantes de Letonia tienen indicadores de
salud mental peores que los de la población media de Europa.

Tradicionalmente, la atención mental se ha centrado en la atención a
los pacientes hospitalizados.
Cambios importantes En la actualidad, las clínicas prestan la mayor
parte de los servicios a los pacientes ambulatorios y el número de
pacientes hospitalizados tratados en el hospital disminuyó de 5696
pacientes en 2004 a 4957 en 2018. Los pacientes son tratados en un
ambiente más accesible y centrado en el paciente.
Lecciones aprendidas La integración administrativa y financiera de
las clínicas nuevas en la comunidad dentro de las estructuras que
ya existen en el hospital es un enfoque exitoso. La transferencia de
recursos a las clínicas parece haber mejorado la calidad de la atención
sin requerir el financiamiento adicional aparte de los costos de inversión
inicial. La participación de los miembros del personal durante la fase de
planificación redujo la complejidad del proyecto.

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