A round-the-clock service offering care at home to mentally-ill people in Bradford has been hailed a big success, prompting a significant drop in admissions to hospital.

The specialist Bradford Home Treatment Service covering the Little Horton and Odsal areas of Bradford was set up three years ago enabling people with severe mental illness to stay at home rather than go to hospital.

Now an analysis by experts at Bradford University shows the service led to a drop in admissions to hospital by a quarter in its first year and by more in years two and three.

Care of home-treated patients was also found to have improved, patients took less medication and the service was cost-effective.

The service had been so successful it had attracted international attention from doctors interested in setting up similar initiatives.

Report author Bruce Cohen, of the university's department of social and economic studies, said patients were happier with the home service.

Lower use of medication and the chance to stay at work and living in the community were highly valued.

He said it proved innovative programmes of mental health care treatment could survive and prosper in the community and he recommended a further extension of the service.

The success of the project was reflected by the number of visits, presentations and seminars which members of the service had been involved in at regional, national and international level.

It was also in line with government thinking in the health field which encouraged more 24-hour crisis services for people with mental illness.

"The Bradford Home Treatment Service offers a superior quality of care to hospital admission while potentially costing no more than hospital treatment," he said.

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