The British Journal of Psychiatry 129: 418-423 (1976)
© 1976 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Psychiatric service for the elderly: how many beds?
DJ Jolley and T Arie
Reported here is a cohort study of five years' bed usage in the Goodmayes
Psychiatric Unit for Old People. Patients first admitted in 1970 continued
to use beds, by readmission or by continuing stay, over the next four
years; subsequent cohorts of admissions made correspondingly extended use
of beds. Bed-usage by men appears now to have stabilized, whilst for women
it is still rising. Over the first six years the bed complement was reduced
by 40%, despite an increase in referrals of over 40%; this is because the
Unit's style of work prevented newly admitted patients from accumulating in
beds made available by deaths. It looks as if in future not only will
patients who die by replaced by new female admissions but more beds will be
needed for these admissions. The present bed-usage is just within the
Government's recommended guidelines, and the local issues are considered in
the context of national policy.
