The Dismantling of the Mental Hospital?

Results of the sixth quinquennial survey of the resident population of Glenside Hospital, Bristol, are reported. The total population continues to fall, but the rate of decline has slowed; the implications of this are discussed. Many patients live in an emotionally impoverished state, friendless and rarely leaving the hospital. Few in-patients are employed, even within the hospital. Considerable provision is made, however, for the employment of day-patients. To effectively resettle and support in the community those currently remaining in hospital will require increasingly extensive provision.