Met and unmet needs reported by severely disabled people in Southern England

Purpose: To examine the met and unmet needs for rehabilitation of disabled people living in the community in Southern England. Method: A cross sectional interview study of people with a primary physical disability, aged 16-65. Disabled people were randomly selected from two ex isting disability registers, which comprised disabled people who had been i dentified by community rehabilitation services as being in need of regular surveillance by formal assessment of their care needs. A new semi-structure d needs assessment questionnaire was developed and validated for the study (the Southampton Needs Assessment Questionnaire, SNAQ). Level of disability was examined with the OPCS Disability and Severity Scales. Results: Ninety three disabled people participated. Their median (IQR) OPCS score was 8 (6-10). Participants reported a median (IQR) of three unmet ne eds (2-7). The most prevalent unmet needs were for adaptations, equipment, physiotherapy and wheelchairs, rather than unmet needs for intellectual and social fulfilment. Conclusions: Disabled people who were already in touch with community rehab ilitation services continued to express unmet needs for further services. M eeting the more basic needs relating to people's housing, equipment, physio therapy and wheelchairs may enable them to be more independent and fulfille d in other areas of their lives.