TY - JOUR
T1 - Secure pathways for women in the UK
T2 - lessons from the women’s enhanced medium secure services (WEMSS) pilots
AU - Edge, Dawn
AU - Walker, Tammi
AU - Meacock, Rachel
AU - Wilson, Hannah
AU - McNair, Louisa
AU - Shaw, Jenny
AU - Gutridge, Kerry
AU - Mitchell, Heather
AU - Robinson, Louise
AU - Senior, Jane
AU - Sutton, Matthew
AU - Abel, Kathryn
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Women’s enhanced medium secure services (WEMSS) is a model of care aimed at providing a more appropriate level of security for women and, in so doing, reducing the number of women in high secure psychiatric services. In 2007, three Department of Health commissioned WEMSS pilots became operational. This study compared the clinical outcomes of women in WEMSS with control women in six standard medium secure services and one high secure service matched on key clinical and risk characteristics, in order to examine their pathways of care. Our findings confirm that the WEMSS pilots were successful in transitioning women from high secure services who had previously been thought unsuitable for medium secure services. However, WEMSS showed no additional clinical benefit, suggesting that these women could be cared for equally well within standard medium secure services. We make recommendations about WEMSS and the future shape of women’s secure care in England.
AB - Women’s enhanced medium secure services (WEMSS) is a model of care aimed at providing a more appropriate level of security for women and, in so doing, reducing the number of women in high secure psychiatric services. In 2007, three Department of Health commissioned WEMSS pilots became operational. This study compared the clinical outcomes of women in WEMSS with control women in six standard medium secure services and one high secure service matched on key clinical and risk characteristics, in order to examine their pathways of care. Our findings confirm that the WEMSS pilots were successful in transitioning women from high secure services who had previously been thought unsuitable for medium secure services. However, WEMSS showed no additional clinical benefit, suggesting that these women could be cared for equally well within standard medium secure services. We make recommendations about WEMSS and the future shape of women’s secure care in England.
KW - care pathways
KW - Forensic mental health
KW - gender-sensitive services
KW - high secure services
KW - medium secure services
KW - women’s enhanced medium secure services (WEMSS)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84994097086&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/14789949.2016.1244279
DO - 10.1080/14789949.2016.1244279
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84994097086
VL - 28
SP - 206
EP - 225
JO - Journal of Forensic Psychiatry
JF - Journal of Forensic Psychiatry
SN - 1478-9949
IS - 2
ER -