THE MENTAL-HEALTH RESIDENTIAL CARE STUDY - PREDICTING COSTS FROM RESIDENT CHARACTERISTICS

Background Little information is available on the casts of residential care for people with mental health problems, and there are very few r esearch data on how or why the costs of provision vary. Method As part of a broader study based on data collected from across the residentia l care sectors in eight districts and using multiple regression analys is, research has examined whether and which resident characteristics a re associated with higher or lower costs. Results Resident characteris tics account for approximately 21% of the observed variation in inter- resident costs. Separate analyses were conducted for people in the Lon don and non-London districts. The resident characteristics that were f ound to be significant predictors of cost include: age, gender, ethnic group, history of psychiatric admissions, diagnosis, emotional labili ty, daily living skills, social interaction and network, aggression, s uicidal tendencies, drug abuse and legal status. Examination of the re sidual ('unexplained') costs found significant differences between fac ility types, sectors (private and voluntary being less costly than pub lic, other things being equal) and districts. Conclusions The associat ions uncovered by these analyses can inform commissioners' planning an d purchasing activities, at both the macro and micro levels, by reveal ing those resident needs and circumstances that are associated with hi gher costs.