Teaching Unit, Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
AIMS AND METHOD
To survey forensic psychiatry teaching in UK medical schools. A questionnaire was sent to all 24 deans.
RESULTS
Twenty-one schools responded, 15 (71%) provided forensic psychiatry teaching. Thirteen organised one or more lectures and 13 organised visits to forensic psychiatric settings, predominantly high security hospitals, but these were usually only available to a proportion of the students in each year. Clinical placements, seminars or workshops and tutorials or supervisions were each arranged in about half of the schools. Only four schools offered special study modules (SSMs).
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
Forensic psychiatry teaching would benefit from further development, with additional use being made of medium secure hospital units and prisons for the purposes of clinical placements and visits. More SSMs should be organised.