A new NHS service has launched to help people with learning disabilities and/or autism moving back into the community from a forensic hospital.
The Forensic Outreach Liaison Service (FOLS) supports people aged 18 years and above who have a learning disability or autism (or both) that are at risk of or have come in to contact with the criminal justice system or been admitted to a secure hospital setting.
Open access. Concerns are recurrently expressed that the therapeutic content of in-patient care is limited and lacking clear guidance. The perspectives of patients and staff regarding therapeutic priorities for psychiatric in-patient care have been little explored and compared.
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Empirical research seldom reports on clinical outcomes within low secure services. By comparing outcome measures prior to admission and following discharge this study aimed to investigate the care pathways of patients admitted to a low secure unit (LSU). The study was conducted in an LSU and consisted of 70 patients (54 male, 16 female). Data were collected retrospectively and analysed in relation to placement security (upon admission and discharge) and admissions to hospital. Results revealed that admissions to hospital and time spent in hospital decreased post-discharge in comparison with pre-admission. Forensic patients were found to have fewer admissions than civil patients prior to LSU admission. Some differences were also observed within gender and Mental Health Act (MHA) section status for placement security. The findings demonstrated that following treatment in a LSU, care pathways may be less restrictive than prior to admission. Further, more robust research on the outcomes of LSUs is required.. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
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outcomes of alcohol and drug treatment services in secure settings in England
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The team’s ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ programme aims to aid those who come in to contact with the criminal justice system and support people through the first six weeks following leaving custody.
On Tuesday 14 November, our ‘voluntary attendance pilot’ was launched in Reading by us and the Howard League.
The new scheme aims to intervene and help people at the earliest opportunity, including pre-arrest and on voluntary attendance/interview at a police station if suspected of a criminal offence, before being charged. Traditionally, resources have been focused in police custody suites and magistrates’ courts, where people are arrested, charged and sentenced. This approach will assess the needs of the people who are at risk and prevent them getting into trouble in the first place.
Tracy and Angela spoke about the Visiting GP Service, which was rolled out across our secure services. The service operates from The Forge GP practice in Warrington and is accessible to all service users staying on our low-secure inpatient wards at Hollins Park Hospital.
Tracy and Angela have also implemented a comprehensive physical health database to assist the service in reviewing, monitoring and optimising the health and wellbeing of our patients. The database captures the whole range of physical health needs, including national screening programmes and the safe management of service users with long-term health conditions.
At Mersey Care a team works closely with the police and other partners to divert vulnerable people away from the courts and prison and give them the help they need to live ordinary lives.
Open access. NHS England recently published a national plan to develop community services for people with intellectual disabilities and autism who display challenging behaviour by using resources from the closure of a large number of hospital beds. An ambitious timescale has been set to implement this plan. The bed closure programme is moving ahead rapidly, but there has been little progress in developing community services to support it. This paper discusses the impact of the gap between policy and practice on the care and safety of patients with intellectual disabilities and forensic needs who form a distinct subgroup of the target population and are being disproportionately affected by this government policy.
The Norfolk and Suffolk Liaison and Diversion Service offers support to people of all ages who are attending a police investigation centre, magistrates or crown court and have vulnerabilities such as mental health or substance misuse issues or learning disabilities.
Run by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) alongside partners Julian Support and military charity Walking With The Wounded, it has proved so successful since its launch in April 2015 that NHS England has awarded it an additional £193,000 in funding to expand its service provision. The money is being spent recruiting additional staff so that the service provided in six police investigation centres across Norfolk and Suffolk can work between 8am and 7pm, seven-days-a-week.
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has become the first NHS trust in the UK to introduce a blended service, bringing together low and medium secure beds for its female patients.
We’ve just heard that SSOTP will not be renewing their agreement with SSSFT LKS for library services for this financial year. Because of this we will be reviewing our Be Aware bulletins. Sadly we won’t be accepting any new sign-ups from SSOTP staff and will be withdrawing some of the physical healthcare bulletins that we…
The South West Regional Secure Network brings together eight organisations from Cornwall to Gloucestershire (excluding Dorset) to change the way that secure mental health services are commissioned and delivered.
The programme is part of a national initiative to increase local responsibility and ownership of secure care services for those people with serious mental health needs. The south west was one of just four areas nationally to become a pilot for the new approach. NHS England, which previously commissioned secure mental health services across the country, transferred the budget of around £70m to the network on 1 April 2017.