Clients and caregivers frequently encounter difficulties in accessing mental health services. Early intervention to care and treatment is essential to recovery as delays can adversely affect the severity and the duration of the illness. This paper reports the factors that encouraged and deterred young adults with schizophrenia and their caregivers when trying to seek early access to community mental health services, and examines how community mental health nurses made themselves accessible to these individuals in order to increase their access to services. The findings showed that several factors simultaneously encouraged and inhibited individuals initiating contact at community mental health centres, and these had serious implications for care and treatment, and recovery. There were two client access pathways to care: a direct access pathway where an individual recognized signs of being unwell and sought help early; and an indirect access pathway where others, such as caregivers, general practitioners, police, and inpatient facilities initiated contact on an individual's behalf. Nurses used three strategies to enhance client and caregiver access to services: 'promoting favourable experiences to enhance approachability', 'using technology to promote access' and 'being available'. The findings have significance for nursing practice because they reinforce the importance of having good relationships with clients and caregivers, and the need to take account of the needs of caregivers. They highlight the benefits and drawbacks of using telecommunications to enhance accessibility, and why it is necessary to analyse nurses' workloads and time management skills.