Psychiatric Bulletin (2009) 33: 409-412. doi: 10.1192/pb.bp.108.022780
© 2009 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow View responses
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Forrester, A.
Right arrow Articles by Parrott, J.
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Forrester, A.
Right arrow Articles by Parrott, J.

A suitable waiting room? Hospital transfer outcomes and delays from two London prisons

Andrew Forrester, Consultant and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychiatry

Healthcare Department, HM Prison Brixton, Jebb Avenue, London SW2 5XF, email: andrew.forrester{at}slam.nhs.uk

Christopher Henderson, Formerly Research Associate

Bracton Centre Medium Secure Unit, Bexley

Simon Wilson, Consultant and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychiatry

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Psychiatry, London

Ian Cumming, Consultant in Forensic Psychiatry

HM Prison Belmarsh, London

Miriam Spyrou, Assistant Psychologist

Bracton Centre Medium Secure Unit, Bexley

Janet Parrott, Consultant in Forensic Psychiatry

Bracton Centre Medium Secure Unit, Bexley

Declaration of interest

None.

AIMS AND METHOD

To describe a group of prisoners who required transfer to mental health units from two London prisons. Data were collected from prison clinical records.

RESULTS

Overall, 149 patient-prisoners were transferred over a 17-month period. Around a quarter were not previously known to services. The aggregate wait was 36.5 years (averaging between 93 and 102 days per prisoner) and the total saving to the National Health Service (NHS) has been estimated at £6.759 million.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Both prisons manage a large number of prisoners with untreated psychosis. While in prison, they save the NHS considerable sums of money, but transfer delays prevent timely treatment and could now be legally challenged.




eLetters:

Read all eLetters

The real cost of waiting in a prison for a hospital psychiatric bed
Pratish B Thakkar, et al.
PB Online, 16 Nov 2009 [Full text]