HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS British Journal of Psychiatry Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dowson, J. H. Articles by Williams, O. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Dowson, J. H. Articles by Williams, O.

Management of psychiatric in-patient violence in the Anglia region

Implications for record-keeping, staff training and victim support

Department of Psychiatry, Box 189, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 2QQ;

O. Williams, Consultant in Clinical Effectiveness

Institute of Public Health, Cambridge

^* Correspondence

Aims and method A total of 384 incidents of violence against the person (six ‘serious’ and 378 ‘mild’), by adult in-patients in general psychiatric units (GPUs) and learning disability units (LDUs) in 10 National Health Service trusts in the Anglia region, were evaluated by interviews with staff and examination of records.

Results The findings, when compared with standards derived from previous recommendations, showed deficiencies in the documentation of incidents (there was no satisfactory written record of physical restraint for 97% of incidents in GPUs and 85% in LDUs), in the training of staff in ‘control and restraint’ procedures (if two or more staff were involved in physical restraint, for 3% of incidents in GPUs and 100% in LDUs, the staff had received no training within the previous 12 months) and in policies for victim support (there was no written policy that included procedures for victim support in relation to 84% of incidents in GPUs and 44% in LDUs).

Clinical implications Trusts should consider reviewing their policies on the prevention and management of violence, particularly in relation to staff training.