Commentary on "Occupational identity of staff and attitudes towards institutional closure".

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to reflect on Vesala et al.'s (2014) findings on the occupational identity of staff and attitudes towards institutional closure. Design/methodoiogy/approach - This commentary reviews some o f the research around staffing, organisational hygiene and sen/ice management in countries that have already implemented deinstitutionalisation, and draws out some key considerations for countries and organisations that are planning the transition from institutions to community-based care. Findings - There is increasing evidence around approaches that are more likely to lead to positive service user and staff outcomes. Particularly person-centred active support and practice leadership have emerged as effective approaches in facilitating organisational change and high-quality services. Originality/value - Some of the experiences and practices in post-deinstitutionalisation countries around active support and practice leadership can provide valuable considerations for planning institutional closure programmes in countries currently implementing deinstitutionalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]