African Caribbean peoples' experience of mental health services and factors moderating length of hospital stay

The literature review was conducted in order to explore African Caribbean communiti.es' perceptions and experiences of mental health services in the UK. A systematic search of electronic databases identified 21 articles. 10 were satisfaction studies, two were national surveys and nine used a qualitative methodology. Experiences were overwhelmingly negative but community services were perceived more positively. Social exclusion was consistently mentioned by community members and service users when asked about their experiences. Conclusions dra\Vn from the satisfaction studies didn't appear to reflect the findings reported in studies using qualitative methodology. Implications for service providers and directions for future research are discussed. The research reports on an epidemiological study examining ethnic differences in length of acute hospital stay for adult inpatients (aged 16-65) in Sheffield. A retrospective analysis of patient records was conducte~ for all admission episodes over a five year period. African Caribbean patients were found to have the greatest length of stay, but these differences were no longer apparent when controlling for diagnosis. Deprivation and unemployment were not found to have a significant effect. The strongest predictors for length of stay were being detained under the Mental Health Act and receiving a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Being single was also consistently associated with greater length of stay across ethnic groups. The study emphasised the heterogeneity of black and ethnic minority groups and the limitations of broad ethnic categorisation.