QUALITY OF CARE of people with mental handicap

SUMMARY. This project investigated changes in the quality of care given to people with mental handicap between 1971 and 1983. Information from 1971 came from a study by King, Raynes, and Tizard; the present study used the same measures. The people involved lived in hospital wards, hostels, community units, and group homes.It was concluded: that the general pattern of care in hostels was still more resident oriented than in hospital wards, as it was in 1971; that hospitals and hostels had both become far more resident oriented during the 12 years so that, by 1983, hospital wards were almost as resident oriented as hostels had been in 1971, while hostels were even more so.