Exploring Soteria as an alternative to psychiatric inpatient care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the Soteria approach as an alternative to psychiatric inpatient treatment in the UK
IRAS ID
335888
Contact name
Kate Allsopp
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Psychosis and mania are considered severe mental health experiences, including hearing voices or believing things others struggle to understand. When there are concerns about safety or these experiences are very distressing, people are admitted to hospital. Psychiatric admissions can be hostile and traumatising.
Several services around the world use the 'Soteria' approach. 'Soteria houses' support people in distress, in ‘home’-like settings of acceptance, dignity, and choice, run mainly by people with lived experiences where genuine community relationships become the healing and care. There has never been one formally setup in the UK.
This is an NIHR-funded project and partnership between academics and the Soteria Network UK (SNUK), a community of service users, families, community groups and professionals. The SNUK network would like to see the Soteria approach used in the UK.
This research is a process of shared design and decision-making, encouraging learning from people outside and within research. The project is co-led by a SNUK trustee with lived experience of psychiatric hospital admission. We are also building a ‘community research team’ (CRT) including SNUK trustees, service users, and voluntary sector organisations.
The research wants to answer how Soteria could be offered in the UK as an alternative to hospital care. We will:
1. Review and summarise existing research into how Soteria has been used worldwide.
2. Run focus groups with people with lived experience of psychiatric hospital admission, family members, and representatives from mental health charities and voluntary organisations.
3. Interview NHS and non-NHS professionals, and staff from Soteria houses worldwide about the benefits and potential challenges of Soteria, and how to resolve challenges.
4. Estimate the cost of setting up a Soteria service in the UK, compared with hospital treatment.
5. Design a future research project to set up, run and evaluate Soteria houses in the UK.REC name
Wales REC 3
REC reference
24/WA/0342
Date of REC Opinion
8 Jan 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion