Prison Mental Health In-reach: The Effect of Open Referral Pathways

Area of Science:

• Forensic Psychiatry
• Correctional Healthcare
• Mental Health Services Research

Background:

• Prisons in England and Wales face challenges with mental disorder management.
• Existing reception screening and referral triage processes are suboptimal.
• Mental health in-reach teams require effective referral mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of an open referral pathway on a prison mental health in-reach team.
• To assess changes in referral numbers and caseloads.
• To understand the effect on identifying individuals with mental health needs.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of referral data from two time periods (2008 and 2011).
• Evaluation of one mental health in-reach team's referrals and caseload.
• Assessment of the open referral pathway's effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Referrals to the in-reach team doubled from 101 to 203.
• Significantly improved identification of individuals with no prior mental health history.
• Evidence suggests lowered thresholds for referral and assessment.

Conclusions:

• Open referral systems can be effective in increasing access to mental health care in prisons.
• This approach may help mitigate under-identification of mental health problems.
• Findings inform the potential impact of national liaison and diversion services.