Mental health in-reach in an urban UK remand prison

Forrester, Andrew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2510-1249, Singh, Jagmohan, Slade, Karen, Exworthy, Tim and Sen, Piyal 2014. Mental health in-reach in an urban UK remand prison. International Journal of Prisoner Health 10 (3) , pp. 155-163. 10.1108/IJPH-07-2013-0035

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Abstract

PurposePrison mental health in-reach teams (MHITs) have developed in England and Wales over the last decade. Services have been nationally reviewed, but detailed descriptions of their work have been scarce. The purpose of this paper is to describe the functions of one MHIT in a busy, ethnically diverse, male remand prison in London, UK.Design/methodology/approachClinical and demographic data were collected for prisoners referred to the MHIT using a retrospective design over an 18-week period in 2008/2009 (n=111).FindingsForeign national prisoners and sentenced prisoners were significantly under-referred. Most referrals were already known to community mental health services, although around a quarter accessed services for the first time in prison. Around a third presented with self-harm/suicide risks. Substance misuse problems were common. Although the MHIT had evolved systems to promote service access, prisoner self-referrals were limited.Practical implicationsForeign national prisoners require enhanced investment to improve service access. MHITs identify people with mental disorders for the first time in prisons, but better screening arrangements are needed across systems. An evaluation of multiple MHIT models could inform a wider delivery template.Originality/valueOne of the first ground-level evaluations of MHITs in England and Wales.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine
Publisher:	Emerald
ISSN:	1744-9200
Last Modified:	09 Nov 2022 10:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/139697

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