Carers / Visitors

A typical forensic carer has been on a very eventful journey before their cared for even reaches secure services. Most will have been through the process of their cared for becoming so unwell a crime has been committed and the police and/or courts have been involved. Often our experience of mental health services has been less than ideal. Often people will say that if only we had received the right support, earlier in the journey, then the offending may not have happened.

It’s a very bewildering experience to come into contact with secure services/ forensic services. Your loved one/ friend will be coming into hospital under a section of the Mental Health Act. There will be other people on the ward on a variety of mental health act sections. Some of our patients/ service users are transferred prisoners, some are awaiting trial and other people come from general mental health wards who need specialist support.

The hospital is a therapeutic environment to help treat people’s illness and help them move on.

Below is a quote from one of our carers:

“Once your friend or family member is settled on their ward, you may start to experience delayed reactions to what has gone on up to this point and now look to your own needs. This could be counselling, or other psychological therapies. Time out doing hobbies and pursuing other interests, finding times to visit friends or even a shopping trip, that you haven’t been able to manage for some time. You need to recover too. “

It may be that you need to visit your G.P for a referral to the most appropriate support. Below are a list of helpful contacts and sources of information:

• Adult Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme - NHS England
• Mental Health Community Services 
• Learning Disability Primary Care Service
• Wellbeing & Recovery College
• MIND
• Rethink Mental Illness
• National Autistic Society
• Care Quality Commission
• Autism West Midlands
• Carers Trust
• Citizens Advice

We try and encourage visits as they can be extremely helpful for our service users. Requests for visits go through the regular Multi-Disciplinary Team Meeting.

All visits should be pre-arranged with ward staff

• In advance of visits taking place, the ward staff should be informed of the names and contact details of each visitor. This is in order that they may be contacted if for any reason the visit cannot take place.
• The maximum number of visitors per service user is limited to 3 (2 on Newport), unless a prior agreement has been sought via the ward manager or nurse in charge of the ward.
• Disabled access is available throughout the secure wards.
• Upon arrival at Reception, all visitors will be asked to produce an item of photographic identification (e.g. passport, driving licence).
• Failure to provide sufficient proof of identity will result in visitors being denied entry to the unit.
• How to arrange a visit – this is fully explained in the attached leaflet but in general it involves contacting the ward first once your family member/friend has agreed to the visit.

Visiting hours

• Core protected hours are around meals and therapeutic activities. We will however try and be as flexible as possible. Please note visits could be subject to change depending on the priorities and demands of the ward. However we will always try and facilitate visits as best we can.
• Observation levels during a visit - please be aware that it is unit policy for visits to be observed by staff. Your name will be added to our approved visitor list.
• Staff have to manage the security of service users/ patients and visitors. Lots of everyday/ ordinary items are not permitted, please look carefully at the contraband list and familiarise yourself with it.

Contraband list

• Please note there are certain items you are not permitted to bring on to the ward on visits or send to the ward via post. These are outlined in the contraband Items list . Please refer to the security section on the website for more information. 
• Funding for visits is the responsibility of friends, family and carers.

• You can keep in contact in the following other ways: pay phones, (in some cases mobile phones), letter, parcels, in some cases video calls and emails are available.

Giving gifts/bringing items to the ward

It can be hard to buy gifts and know what to bring in because of the restrictions due to the security measure in the contraband items list. Previous carers have told us that some good suggestions are clothes, magazine subscriptions food (must be in original packaging). Please ask the ward for advice before bringing food items as the service is trying to encourage healthy options wherever possible.

Carer support and involvement in secure mental health services - NHS England aims to provide clear information for carers, service users, service providers and commissioners about how carers of people who use secure mental health services should be engaged with, supported, involved and empowered. Guidance has been developed by NHS England in partnership with The University of Central Lancashire. It has been co-produced by a steering group involving a wide range of experience and expertise and, most importantly, carers themselves.

Discharge will be discussed with patients and their family and friends. There a number of discharge options including:

• Forensic Intensive Recovery and Support team also known as FIRST.
• Mental Health Community Services

We take safety very seriously and have an adult safeguarding procedures in place so that we can reduce the potential for any form of abuse, and prevent abuse from occurring.

Preventing abuse should occur in the context of person-centred support and personalisation, empowering individuals to make choices and supporting them to manage risks. If your friend or relative makes a disclosure of abuse, they will be listened to and the correct protocols followed.  You will be informed if the service user gives their consent.