Mapping transitional care pathways among young people discharged from adolescent forensic medium secure units in England
Abstract
This study tracked young offenders transitioning from national adolescent forensic medium secure units to adult services in the UK within a six-month period. We used a mapping exercise to identify eligible participants moving during the study period from all national adolescent forensic medium secure units in England. Young people older than 17.5 years or those who had turned 18 years (transition boundary) and had been referred to adult and community services were included. Of the 34 patients identified, 53% moved to forensic adult inpatient services. Psychosis was the most prevalent symptom among males (29%), and emerging personality disorder symptomatology was commonly reported among females (18%) followed by learning disability (24%). The mean time for transition to adult mental-health services and community settings was eight months. There were no shared transition or discharge policies, and only two hospitals had discharge guidelines. The findings highlight the need for consistency between policy and practice among services along with the development of individualised care pathways. Future qualitative research is needed to understand and reflect on young people’s and carers’ experiences to improve transition service delivery.
Citations
Altmetric:
Date
2019-11-10
Type
Article
Subject
Mental health, Health services. Management
Citation
Livanou M, Singh SP, Liapi F, Furtado V. Mapping transitional care pathways among young people discharged from adolescent forensic medium secure units in England. Med Sci Law. 2020 Jan;60(1):45-53. doi: 10.1177/0025802419887287. Epub 2019 Nov 10. PMID: 31707929.
Journal / Source Title
Medicine, Science and the Law
DOI
10.1177/0025802419887287
PMID
31707929
Publisher
Sage Journals
Publisher’s URL
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0025802419887287