Relocation and the characteristics of hospital and hostel regimes

Drawing on evidence from a research evaluation of a local community care programme, this paper explores whether relocation from a British National Health Service mental handicap hospital into local authority hostels (supervised residential facilities) brought about a qualitative change in the residential environment of movers towards less restrictive management practices and caring routines, more responsive attitudes towards their rights and needs as individuals, and greater control over their own lives. The conclusions point to the existence of a substantial measure of overlap in the fundamental characteristics of the hospital and hostel regimes.