Assessing the quality of residential services for people with mental handicap

Abstract

Between 1984 and 1987 the South Western Regional Health Authority funded research to compare the costs and quality of alternative residential services for people with learning difficulties (mental handicap). During this period, 14 residential services were evaluated. The services covered a wide range of models of care and included: small homes run on ‘ordinary life’ principles based in the community, funded and/or managed by health authorities and social services departments; small (health authority) homes in, or adjacent to, mental handicap hospital grounds; traditional mental handicap hospitals; and private or voluntary sector hostels for up to 12 people.

Measuring the quality of care in psychogeriatric wards

“…Within the realm of health care, quality of life and its measurement have been debated for a range of patient (Sutcliffe & Holmes 1991), people with learning difficulties (Tyne 1985, Davies 1988, Hewson 1991 and elderly people in residential care (Booth 1985, Bland & Bland 1990. It is with this last group that this paper is concerned and, although previous work has been conducted in residential homes for elderly people (Peace ei al 1979, Booth 1985, Bland & Bland 1990, the long-stay hospital sector has received little attention.…”