Care control and collaborative working in a prison hospital.

Area of Science:

• Prison Healthcare
• Nursing Practice
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Investigating "good practice" in a nurse-led prison hospital wing for male prisoners.
• Examining tensions between "caring" and "control" from professionals' perspectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss collaborative working among diverse professionals in a prison healthcare setting.
• To identify key factors in maintaining the balance between therapy and security/risk.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative research methodology.
• Data collection through interviews, focus groups, and participant observations.

Main Results:

• A critical finding is the necessity of balancing therapy with security/risk management.
• Nurses and prison officers demonstrated cooperation, coordination, and collaboration to maintain this balance.
• Identified themes include care vs. control, teamwork, professional responsibilities, and communication.

Conclusions:

• Enhancing the role of nurses is crucial for prioritizing therapy in prison healthcare.
• Recommendations focus on fostering collaborative working to ensure therapy remains paramount while upholding security and safety.