Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T04:19:33.410Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

An Index of Need for Psychiatric Services based on In-patient Utilisation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Peter Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Management, University of St Andrews KY16 9DY
Trevor A. Sheldon*
Affiliation:
NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York YO1 5DD
Stephen Martin
Affiliation:
Department of Economics and Related Studies, University of York YO1 5DD
*
Professor Trevor A. Sheldon, NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York YO1 5DD

Abstract

Background

The paper describes the development of an index of the relative need for psychiatric services for the purposes of distributing NHS funds in England.

Method

The study is based on an empirical analysis of all psychiatric in-patient completed episodes in England in 1991/92. Any index of need should be independent of the effect of variations in health care supply on the use of psychiatric services. In order to disentangle the influences of supply from social and clinical determinants of utilisation, two stage least squares regression and multilevel modelling techniques were used.

Results

The outcome was an index comprising six health and socio-economic variables. This is now being used by the NHS Executive to distribute about £2.2 billion of annual NHS expenditure for psychiatric services between English health authorities.

Conclusion

It is shown that the index is much more sensitive to needs and therefore more redistributive than the previous index of need used in the NHS.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 1996 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Buglass, D., Duffy, K. & Kreitman, N. (1980) A Register of Social and Medical Indices by Local Government Area in Edinburgh and Lothians. Edinburgh: Scottish Office Central Research Papers.Google Scholar
Carr-hill, R., Hardman, G., Martin, S., et al (1994a) A Formula for Distributing NHS Revenues Based on Small Area Use of Hospital Beds. Occasional Paper, Centre for Health Economics, University of York.Google Scholar
Carr-hill, R., Sheldon, T. A., Smith, P., et al (1994b) Allocating resources to health authorities: development of methods for small area analysis of use of inpatient services. British Medical Journal, 309, 10461049.Google Scholar
Cochrane, & Sashidaran, S. (1996) The mental health needs of ethnic minorities. In The Health Needs of Ethnic Minorities (eds Ahmad, W. & Seldon, T. A.), pp. 105126. CRD Report No 6. York: University of York.Google Scholar
Cotgrove, A. J., Bell, G. & Katona, C. L. E. (1992) Psychiatric admissions and social deprivation: is the Jarman underprivileged area score relevant? Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 46, 245247.Google Scholar
Dohrenwend, B. S. & Dohrenwend, B. P. (1975) Socio-cultural and social-psychological factors in the genesis of mental disorders. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, 16, 365392.Google Scholar
Godfrey, L. G. (1988) Misspecification Tests in Econometrics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Goldberg, E. M. & Morrison, S. L. (1963) Schizophrenia and social class. British Journal of Psychiatry, 109, 785802.Google Scholar
Goldstein, H. (1987) Multilevel Models in Educational and Social Research. London: Griffin.Google Scholar
Gunnell, D. J., Peters, T. J., Kammerling, R. M., et al (1995) Relation between parasuicide, suicide, psychiatric admissions and socio-economic deprivation. British Medical Journal, 311, 226230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hirsch, S. R. (1988) Psychiatric Beds and Resources: Factors Influencing Bed Use and Service Planning. Report of a working party of the section for social and community psychiatry of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists.Google Scholar
Kammerling, R. M. & O'Connor, S. (1993) Unemployment as predictor of rate of psychiatric admission. British Medical Journal, 307, 15361539.Google Scholar
Kent, S. & Yellowlees, P. (1994) Psychiatric and social reasons for frequent rehospitalisation. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 45, 347350.Google Scholar
Lawrence, R. E., Copas, J. B. & Cooper, P. W. (1991) Community care: does it reduce the need for psychiatric beds? A comparison of two different styles of service in three hospitals. British Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 334340.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maddala, G. S. (1987) Econometrics. Singapore: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Malin, H. (1988) The Ecology of Psychiatric Morbidity and Uptake of Psychiatric Services: A Literature Review. ORZ/1159. London: DHSS Operational Research Service.Google Scholar
Mason, M. & Wilkinson, G. (1996) The prevalence of psychiatric morbidity. OPCS survey of psychiatric morbidity in Great Britain. British Journal of Psychiatry, 168, 13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
NHS Executive (1994) HCHS Revenue Capitation Allocation: Weighted Capitation Formula. Leeds: NHS Executive.Google Scholar
Payne, J. N., Coy, J., Patterson, S., et al (1994) Is the use of hospital services a proxy for morbidity? Journal of Epidemiology Community Health, 48, 7478.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Peacock, S. & Smith, P. (1995) The Resource Allocation Consequences of the New NHS Needs Formula. Discussion Paper 134. University of York: Centre for Health Economics.Google Scholar
Pritchard, C. (1992) Is there a link between suicide in young men and unemployment? British Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 750756.Google Scholar
Sheldon, T. A. & Carr-Hill, R. A. (1992) Resource allocation by regression in the NHS: a statistical critique of the RAWP review. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society (Series A), 155, 403420.Google Scholar
Smith, P., Sheldon, T. A., Carr-Hill, R. A., et al (1994) Allocating resources to health authorities: results and policy implications of small area analysis of use of in-patient services. British Medical Journal, 309, 10501054.Google Scholar
Stevens, A. & Gabbay, J. (1991) Needs assessment, needs assessment Health Trends, 23, 2023.Google Scholar
Sullivan, P. F., Bulik, C. M., Forman, S. D., et al (1993) Characteristics of repeat users of a psychiatric emergency service. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 44, 376380.Google Scholar
Thornicroft, G. (1991) Social deprivation and rates of treated mental disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 475484.Google Scholar
Thornicroft, G., Bisoffi, G., De Silva, D., et al (1993) Urban–rural differences in the associations between social deprivation and psychiatric service utilisation in schizophrenia and all diagnoses: a case register study in Northern Italy. Psychological Medicine, 23, 487496.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.