07.06.11
Involuntary psychiatric admissions rose as bed provision fell - study
A new study has found a direct correlation between the reduction in mental illness bed provision and growing rates of compulsory admission to psychiatric facilities.
The closure of mental illness beds has been part of ongoing efforts to deinstitutionalise the care of the mentally ill in recent years.
The researchers from Newcastle University, Warwick University and Queen Mary, University of London set out to explore why the rates of involuntary admissions have been rising over the past 21 years, and to test the hypothesis that there is a direct association with the reduction in mental illness bed provision in the NHS in England.
Using NHS Information Centre data and Department of Health hospital activity statistics for 1988-2008, they found that the rate of involuntary admissions per year rose by 64% from 40.2 to 65.6 per 100,000 adults, while the provision of mental illness beds fell by 62% from 166.1 to 63.2 per 100,000 adults over the same period.
The study was published on bmj.com
The dataset did not include information on the clinical reasons for admissions, but the authors say it is unlikely that the increase reflects “an otherwise unreported dramatic increase in the prevalence of severe mental disorders in England”.
They conclude: “We emphasise that this paper does not suggest that bed closures are intrinsically inappropriate. This strategy may well be a reasonable course of action; but the bed mix needs to be examined more closely and the rate and consequences of bed closures may need to be considered more carefully.
“Ultimately this study provides important evidence for the need to anticipate the effects of bed closures.”
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