Difficulties in the pathway from high to medium secure services for personality-disordered patients

Abstract

Personality-disordered patients detained in high secure psychiatric hospitals appear to experience difficulties progressing to medium secure services. Accordingly, this study sought to explore the problems encountered in this pathway. To do this, data relating to referrals to medium secure services were collated for previous and current patients from a Personality Disorder service (n = 68) and a Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder service (n = 12) in one English high secure hospital. The results highlighted the poor success rate of referrals to medium secure units and revealed the extensive delays encountered in the transfer process. Further to this, they also identified the poor success rate of patients periods of trial leave at medium secure units. Taken together, these findings are consistent with reports that consultants in medium secure units are reluctant to accept personality-disordered patients and that these units lack the infrastructure to treat this patient group. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.