Specialist services
This section of the site provides information on specialist services for people with personality disorder. There are a small number of such services around the country, most but not all, providing in-patient services for people with more serious problems associated with personality disorder.
Three of these services were commissioned at a national level between 1997 and 2006, (under the auspices of the National Specialist Commissioning Advisory Group at the Dept of Health).
The Henderson Hospital in South West London has provided an important service for people with personality disorders for many years. In 1997 new investment made it possible to expand provision so that such services could be accessible across the country. Two additional services were established, one in the West Midlands (the Personality Disorder Service at Main House, Birmingham), and one in the North West (previously Web House, Crewe, now Therapeutic Community Services, North).
Democratic Therapeutic Communities
All three services are run as democratic therapeutic communities, a model which challenges clients to take responsibility for their behavior within a structured and therapeutic environment. The Henderson Hospital provides an in-patient and outreach service; the Personality Disorder Service, at Main House provides in-patient, outreach and a day therapeutic community service; and TCS North provides intensive day therapeutic community services at a number of locations across the North West.
In April 2006, the financial resources and commissioning responsibility for these services was devolved to local NHS specialist commissioners. The London Specialist Commissioning Group leads commissioning for the Henderson Hospital; the West Midlands Specialist Commissioning Group leads commissioning for the Personality Disorder Service, at Main House; and Greater Manchester Local Specialist Commissioning Group leads commissioning for TCS North.