Assessing and supporting social inclusion in mental health supported accommodation: the SUSHI Study.

Background: People with severe mental illness living in supported accommodation are often socially excluded. Social inclusion is an important aspect of recovery-based practice, and improves quality of life. The Social Inclusion Questionnaire User Experience (SInQUE) is a structured measure of social inclusion validated for use with mental health populations. We sought to develop an online version of the SInQUE for use in mental health supported accommodation services, and examine its acceptability and perceived usefulness to staff and residents as a tool to support care planning.

Methods: We developed an online social inclusion questionnaire through iterative phases of lab-testing and field-testing with staff and residents in mental health supported accommodation services in one London borough. We investigated take up and use of the tool across a 5-month study period in three areas, with and without an accompanying strategy to support implementation. Final focus groups with staff and residents explored the potential utility of the online questionnaire for use in practice, and ways in which staff could support residents to achieve desired social inclusion goals.

Results: Staff and service users we interviewed felt that the online questionnaire was collaborative, comprehensive, user-friendly and relevant to their role. Some staff expressed concerns that particular questions might be intrusive or too personal, but service users did not share this view. Interviewees suggested that the tool could highlight areas of common unmet need, to inform service planning. However, the online social inclusion measure was only used by about 10% of staff with the supporting implementation strategy, and not at all in the comparison areas that had no implementation strategy.

Discussion: Implications will be discussed regarding the potential utility of the online SInQUE social inclusion questionnaire to support assessment and care planning around social inclusion in supported accommodation settings. Future directions for research will be considered.