Background:
The importance of suitable and stable housing has long been recognized for people suffering mental illness. In recent years, there has been a steady decrease in the availability of housing options for this group of people. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this is now impacting on their length of hospitalization and health outcomes.
Method:
Patients were enrolled over a 3-month period during their admission to the Alfred Hospital psychiatric ward. In-patient social workers collected information for every consecutive admission regarding patient's current accommodation situation and their attempt to secure appropriate housing for these patients. Demographic information was also collected. Consultant psychiatrists measured symptom severity using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale.
Results:
Data presented will include a summary of the appropriateness of the current housing situation of participants at admission, the accommodation options available for discharge, the time taken to secure the accommodation, the time spent in hospital after medical clearance for discharge and the length of hospitaliza-tion. An analysis will assess whether patients who are considered to be in unstable accommodation are experiencing longer hospital stays as compared with those in stable housing.
Conclusions:
The results will examine how the decreases in accommodation options are impacting on the use of hospital resources and patient outcomes. This information is imperative given the limited inpatient psychiatric resources available.
