Introduction Case management for the long-term mentally ill is pro- posed as a means of achieving ‘an integrated and continu- ous service built around individual needs’ (Shepherd 1990). Together with needs assessment, case management was identified as a cornerstone of community care in the key government policy document (Secretaries of State for Heath 1989). Despite its popularity as a concept, it seems far from clear what case management is (Bachrach 1988), and even less clear what case managers do. The general aims and principles of case management have been broadly agreed (Intagliata 1982) to enhance the continuity of care and its accessibility, accountability and efficiency. In addi- tion, the core functions of case management have been identified as: assessment of client need, development of a comprehensive service plan, arrangement of service deliv- ery, monitoring and assessment of the services provided and evaluation and follow-up (Clifford & Craig 1988). Many outcome studies have been published in the USA and, more recently, in the UK, which attempt to demon- strate the efficacy of case management interventions. Early reviews highlighted the paucity of methodologically sound studies (Chamberlain & Rapp 1991). Burns & Santos (1995), reviewed the literature on randomized controlled trials of case management between 1990 and 1994 and concluded that (p. 669): Strong positive effects of assertive community treatment (case management) on hospital days and on patient and family satisfaction were found. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 1997, 4, 287–294 © 1997 Blackwell Science Ltd 287 Case management: a week in the life of a clinical case management team A. WAITE 1 BS c( H ons), J. CARSON 2 BA ( H ons), MS c, C . P sychol, D. CULLEN 3 BA ( H ons), N. OLIVER 4 MA , F. HOLLOWAY 5 MA , MB , FRCP sych and K. MISSENDEN 6 BA ( H ons) 1 Clinical Psychologist in Training, University College, London, UK, 2 Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK, 3 Clinical Psychologist in Training, The University of East London, London, UK, 4 The University of East London, London, UK, 5 Consultant Psychiatrist, The Bethlem and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK and 6 Clinical Psychologist in Training, The University of East London, London, UK WAITE A., CARSON J., CULLEN D., OLIVER N., HOLLOWAY F. & MISSENDEN K. (1997) Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 4, 287–294 Case management: a week in the life of a clinical case management team This paper describes the work of a clinical case management core team (four nurses and an occupational therapist) during the course of a week. Information was gathered through non-participant observation of the team by two independent researchers. Transcripts pro- duced from the data recorded were examined. From this, seven categories of activity were identified: planned client contact; unplanned client contact; family/carer contact; liaison; administration; team information sharing and supervision, training and personal develop- ment. These categories were felt to encompass the range of activities practised by the team. The amount of time that case managers spent engaged in these core functions was calcu- lated. Detailed examples are presented. Results are discussed with reference to Kanter’s components and principles of clinical case management. Keywords: activity analysis, case management, continuing care, Kanter’s model qualitative methods, time management Accepted for publication: 14 January 1997 Correspondence: Jerome Carson Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology Institute of Psychiatry De Crespigny Park Denmark Hill London SE5 8AF UK E-mail: JeromeCar@aol.com