Patients with mental health problems "should have better access" to accommodation from social services, reports Social Work News.

Local authorities have a statutory duty, according to the Court of Appeal, to provide accommodation for those who have experienced torture, trauma or other mental health afflictions.

This is due to an appeal by a mental health service user who has claimed asylum from his native Iran because he is gay. In this case, the duty to provide accommodation is triggered "when it would not be 'reasonably practicable and efficacious' to supply care to individuals with mental health problems in the absence of stable accommodation," cites Community Care.

This could see a rise in the number of patients moving into social housing, those with social housing jobs will be pleased to hear.

Victoria Pogge von Strandman, who represented charity Freedom for Torture in the case, explained why she was behind the charity: "Local authorities often take the view that, if you have a mental health problem, you need medication or counselling, both of which are provided by the NHS, so you don't qualify for local authority accommodation. But mental health problems often require more than that."

Lead clinical psychologist at Freedom from Torture Dr expressed her delight at the ruling, stating: "We are delighted that the court has rectified the blindness of previous case law by clarifying that local authorities' duty to provide community care support can extend to those with care needs arising from trauma experiences."