The EUCOMS network was born in 2015 from the realisation that one of the most important stakeholders for the implementation of quality mental health care, community mental health service providers, were not represented on European policy level. To fill this gap the Trimbos Intitute (the national institute for mental health and addiction in the Netherlands), GGZ Nederland (the mental health service provider umbrella organisation in the Netherlands), GGZ Noord-Holland-Noord (a leading community mental health service provider in the Netherlands) and the EAOF (the European Assertive Outreach Foundation) decided to join hands and to set up the EUCOMS network.
The need for EUCOMS was confirmed when the kick-off meeting in Heiloo in April 2016 attracted 35 participants representing 13 countries. Since the official kick-off meeting we have grown and our members met in Luxemburg, Northern Ireland, Germany, Spain, Italy and France.
Together with our members we developed the first draft of the consensus paper outlining the fundamental principles and key elements of community based mental health care. We hope that this document will form the basis for the implementation, promotion, monitoring and evaluation of community mental health care in Europe and beyond.
