Mental health needs of clients of rehabilitation services: A survey in one Trust

Background: Little is known about the profile of current rehabilitation service users and how it might differ from the clients for whom these services were originally set up. Aim: To carry out a cross-sectional survey of rehabilitation service clients within two inner London boroughs and compare mental health needs with previous data from 1998. Method: All 141 clients of the four different types of rehabilitation services in Camden and Islington were included. Observer rated assessments of social function, substance misuse, mental health needs and challenging behaviours were made. Results: Most clients had a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Around 7% had a co-morbid substance misuse problem. Over half had at least one challenging behaviour that was difficult to manage or occurred frequently. Clients in longer term hospital-based settings had the poorest social function and greatest number of needs. Compared to rehabilitation service users in 1998, clients had more unmet accommodation and money needs, but fewer unmet needs in the areas of psychological distress, psychotic symptoms and social relationships. Conclusions: Few differences in client characteristics were found with the exception of those in longer term, hospital-based facilities. Improvements in symptom management and social function may have created a need for more independent accommodation. Declaration of interest: None.