Changes in the ward atmosphere of a psychiatric work rehabilitation unit were investigated. Both trainees and staff filled in the Community-Oriented Programs Environment Scale (COPES) before and after a new rehabilitation model was implemented. It was hypothesised that the levels of autonomy and practical orientation would increase from both the trainees' and staff's perspective concerning the real ward atmosphere and that the staff's perceptions of an ideal ward atmosphere would change in the same way. The staff perceived an increased level of autonomy with respect to both the real ward atmosphere and to what constitutes an ideal ward atmosphere, which partly confirmed the hypotheses, but the level of practical orientation was stable. Concerning the staff's estimate of an ideal ward atmosphere, further changes were an increased level of involvement and a decrease in spontaneity, which was not hypothesised, but was not in conflict with the philosophy behind the new model. From the trainee's perspective there was no change of either autonomy or practical orientation. Instead, there was a decrease in personal problem orientation. Compared to an optimal profile, the ward atmosphere was beneficial, before as well as after implementation of the new programme. Differences were found between the staff and the trainees, but they were not large enough to separate the groups according to what is considered an optimal profile. The few changes found support earlier conclusions that the ward atmosphere is a stable phenomenon over time.