ABSTRACT

Co-producing a model of care between in-patient services and a partnership with an accessible community facility such as the library meant that people could be safely supported, and ‘bridged’, directly into the heart of a community. The project was co-produced to offer a gradual exposure to the community for people with an intellectual disability and mental health difficulty who were ready for discharge from a Treatment and Assessment Unit. The different kinds of ‘on-going support’ were recognised by the group and discussed individually, dependent on different people’s experiences, stages of recovery, physical health and geographic distance from the library. The library when approached with idea of ‘The Book Group’ was enthusiastic and eager to support the project. The resources for the group from the Books Beyond Words series, were developed for people with an intellectual disability, by people with intellectual disabilities on topics relevant to their needs.