Supported accommodation for people with severe mental illness: a review

Rob Macpherson is a consultant rehabilitation psychiatrist at Wotton Lawn (a psychiatric hospital in Horton Road, Gloucester GL1 3WL, UK. E-mail: rob.macpherson{at}glospart.nhs.uk). He is medical adviser to a charity that provides domiciliary support to people with severe mental problems, and he has previously worked with Rethink and a housing association on the development of supported flats. Geoff Shepherd is Director of Partnerships and Service Development for Peterborough Mental Health NHS Trust. Tom Edwards is a specialist registrar in psychiatry at Wotton Lawn, Gloucester.

The authors describe the main forms of supported accommodation available to people with mental health problems in the UK. They address the questions of who needs supported accommodation and how people may be selected for the differing types of unit. Historical trends and policy in this area are reviewed and the general research evidence and evidence of cost-effectiveness are considered. A ‘total system’ approach to assessing accommodation need in a locality is advocated. The authors also consider key quality issues that should be addressed for supported accommodation to be effective.

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