A recent study published  in the Lancet (see link below) highlights the difference Peer Support can make in providing self management support. With bed occupancy for Mental Health at an all time high and many of these occupied by people who have been discharged in the last six months, this study shows the importance of peer support and structured approaches to self management in improving peoples resilience to relapse and supporting recovery.

Report Summary

“High resource expenditure on acute care is a challenge for mental health services aiming to focus on supporting recovery, and relapse after an acute crisis episode is common. Some evidence supports self-management interventions to prevent such relapses, but their effect on readmissions to acute care following a crisis is untested. We tested whether a self-management intervention facilitated by peer support workers could reduce rates of readmission to acute care for people discharged from crisis resolution teams, which provide intensive home treatment following a crisis”

Find out more here