Growth in independent hospitals. An opportunity for training beyond the NHS
McAlister, Heather M.
McAlister, Heather M.
Abstract
The UK independent psychiatric hospitals sector has grown significantly in recent years. The arrival of community care and the closure by the National Health Service (NHS) of the county asylums led to overload of local NHS hospitals from the 1970s onwards. Provision in the sector ranges across open and secure care in mental health, with services for learning disability, brain injury, acute, longer-term and rehabilitation treatments. Many of the country's most highly specialised and secure psychiatric care pathways are found in the independent sector. In some subspecialties, this is the main national provision, for instance longer-term medium and low secure care, women's services, learning disability, forensic, brain injury, autistic spectrum, secure services for adolescents, older people, the deaf, people with Huntington's disease, etc. The sector also contributes toward care in personality disorder, forensic addictions, and sex-offender services. The government has increasingly supported the movement of some aspects of medical care into the independent sector. However, experience with the Independent Sector Treatment Centres suggests that satisfactory results may require better integration with the NHS, especially as regards training opportunities for junior doctors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
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Date
2008
Type
Editorial
Subject
Long-term care, Mental health services, Psychiatric hospitals, Rehabilitation
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Citation
Nimmagadda, S. R., Sugarman, P., Duggan, L. M. & McAlister, H. M. (2008). Growth in independent hospitals. An opportunity for training beyond the NHS. Psychiatric Bulletin, 32 (2), pp.41-43.