More than 60 per cent of adults with mental health issues in Bucks are not living in “stable or appropriate” accommodation, figures suggest.

Statistics published by Bucks County Council (BCC) show that only 38 per cent of adults, aged between 18 to 69, who are in contact with secondary mental health services have access to an appropriate home.

The figures taken from 2016 to 2017 fall way below the national average of 54 per cent, according to the Bucks joint health and wellbeing board dashboard report.

However Oxford Health Trust is currently reviewing how the data is reported, amid concerns figures may not be valid.

BCC’s health and wellbeing board met to discuss the figures on Thursday (May 3) where service director at Oxford Healthcare Trust, Pauline Scully, said there are “significant pressures” on people in Bucks to maintain stable accommodation.

She said: “We can’t underestimate the importance of stable accommodation for people in terms of their general mental wellbeing and health, but also for those who suffer from significant mental illness.

“We do record the kind of accommodation that people are in, and there are significant pressures for people in Bucks in maintaining stable accommodation – that’s a real pressure for us and it does lead to people staying in hospital for longer than they need to be at times.

“This is a real area where we need to work together with colleagues in the council to think about the planning in terms of housing, what is available for people here locally.”

Head of health at BCC, Gill Quinton, added that the council needs to start “planning ahead” to ensure appropriate accommodation can always be provided to those who need it.

She said: “As well as accommodation for people with mental health needs, we have got in issue in Buckinghamshire about the future and appropriate accommodation for older people, for people with learning disabilities.

“So not only do we have an issue there, we also have an opportunity with the growth agenda to really start to plan and think ahead to include in some of the local plans some future needs and a different requirement really that we will have.

“I can see a future where we will not need as many residential care home places, as we have now because we need a different type of accommodation, so we need to start planning those in now so that we can impact on indicators like this and other indicators we mention.”