Objective: To explore the relationship between government policy and service development in a New Zealand statutory mental health provider, Living Well.
Method: An organisational case study utilising multiple research techniques including qualitative interviews, analysis of business and strategic documents and observation of meetings.
Results: Staff understood and acknowledged the importance of government policy, but there were challenges in its implementation.
Conclusion: Within New Zealand's statutory mental health services staff struggled to know how to implement government policy as part of service development; rather, operational concerns, patient need, local context and service demands drove the service development process.
Keywords: government policy; planning; service development; statutory mental health services.
© The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2014.