The Home Office Mental Health Unit and its approach to the assessment and management of risk

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 265-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
SARA DENT
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Unit ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Mental Health Unit ◽  
Management Of Risk

scholarly journals The Home Office Mental Health Unit

1996 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 742-743
Author(s):  
J. M. Potts
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Rapid Response ◽  
Health Unit ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Mentally Disordered ◽  
Separate Section ◽  
Mental Health Legislation ◽  
Health Legislation ◽  
Mental Health Unit

On 1 April the mental health section of the Home Office's C3 Division was renamed “Mental Health Unit”, as part of a wider initiative to streamline the Department and give more meaningful titles to the various different areas of work. The responsibilities of our Unit remain the same, however. First, we deal with the cases of restricted patients under mental health legislation. As well as advising Ministers or taking decisions on their behalf about leave, transfers and discharge, the Unit also authorises the transfer of mentally disordered prisoners to hospital. This prison transfer work is focused in a separate section of the Unit which is able to provide a very rapid response to urgent requests for transfer warrants. The number of transfers has gone up from 337 in 1990 to over 700 in each of the last three years.

scholarly journals The Home Office Mental Health Unit

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 450-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayanth Srinivas ◽  
Sarah Denvir ◽  
Martin Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Unit ◽  
Mentally Disordered Offenders ◽  
Home Office ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Mentally Disordered ◽  
Mental Health Unit ◽  
Structure And Functions

Over the years, the number of mentally disordered offenders in England and Wales subject to restriction orders has steadily increased. The Home Secretary, through the Mental Health Unit at the Home Office, is responsible for overseeing the treatment of these individuals. As psychiatrists work in partnership with the Mental Health Unit in the treatment of these patients, it is essential to understand the Unit's role and functions. In this article, we describe the philosophy, structure and functions of the Mental Health Unit and its statutory role in the care of mentally disordered offenders subject to restriction orders.

Descriptive Study of Adjustment Disorders in a Mental Health Unit.

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S607-S607
Author(s):  
L. González ◽  
B. Pecino ◽  
C. Gomez ◽  
M. Anibarro ◽  
C. Ortigosa
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Care Physician ◽  
Psychiatric Evaluation ◽  
Adjustment Disorders ◽  
Health Unit ◽  
Social Difficulties ◽  
Current Employment Status ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Mental Health Unit

IntroductionAdjustment disorders are a common psychiatric disorder in primary care and mental health units, with point prevalence estimates ranging from 0.9% to 2.3%. These disorders have been recently defined as a stress response syndrome in the fifth edition of the DSM, causing emotional and social difficulties and also a large economic burden on society.ObjectivesThe aim of this descriptional study was to analyse the socio-demographic characteristics and treatment of the patients diagnosed with adjustment disorders in the first visit in a mental health unit.MethodsThe study sample consisted of 128 patients admitted for a psychiatric consultation in a mental health unit in Alicante (Spain) from their primary care physician, between February and July 2016. Variables of gender, age, current employment status, diagnosis and treatment were measured. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software.ResultsThe data from 31 patients who were diagnosed with adjustment disorders meant a 24% of the sample. The median age was 47 years old in the adjustment disorders group. Among those with adjustment disorders, 61% were women, and 52% of them were unemployed. Almost 60% of them had at least one pychotropic prescription and only 22% were derived to psychology.ConclusionsAdjustment disorders are considered as an intermediate category between no mental disorder and affective disorders. Most authors recommend to start with a psychotherapeutic intervention. Despite starting with medication has not proved effectiveness in the studies, most of the patients had at least one psychotropic prescription before the psychiatric evaluation.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Prevalence of housing needs among inpatients: a 1 year audit of housing needs in the acute mental health unit in Tallaght Hospital

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Cowman ◽  
P. Whitty
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitals ◽  
Numerical Data ◽  
Health Unit ◽  
Psychiatric Unit ◽  
Nursing Managers ◽  
Housing Needs ◽  
Delayed Discharges ◽  
Number Of Discharges ◽  
Mental Health Unit

ObjectiveThere is a dearth of information relating to the prevalence of housing needs among psychiatric in-patients in Ireland. Most of the information we have to date emerged as a result of attempts to plan for the closure of old psychiatric hospitals and inappropriate community residences. This study sought to identify the prevalence of housing needs among in-patients in the acute psychiatric unit in Tallaght Hospital.MethodsEach week, over a 12-month period, nursing managers and/or key nurses who knew the patients well were asked for numerical data. Information was collected on the numbers of in-patients with accommodation needs, number of delayed discharges due to accommodation needs and number of discharges to homeless accommodation in the previous week.ResultsOn average, 38% of in-patients had accommodation related needs at any one time. Most (98%) of delayed discharges had accommodation related needs. Delayed discharge in-patients with accommodation needs accounted for 28% of all inpatients and for 72% of all inpatients with accommodation related needs.ConclusionsAccommodation need among psychiatric in-patients is underreported. Housing need data should be routinely collected and effective interagency strategies developed to address housing needs.

scholarly journals The application of mental health legislation in younger children

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 302-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Thomas ◽  
Barry Chipchase ◽  
Lisa Rippon ◽  
Paul McArdle
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young Child ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Legal Authority ◽  
Challenging Behaviour ◽  
Health Unit ◽  
Mental Health Legislation ◽  
History Of ◽  
Health Legislation ◽  
Mental Health Unit

SummaryWe review a case history of a young child who was admitted to an in-patient mental health unit due to extremely challenging behaviour and review the legal issues that had to be considered in ensuring that there was appropriate legal authority for the child's admission and treatment. In this particular case, the patient was detained for assessment under section 2 of the Mental Health Act 1983. This case demonstrates that all clinicians working in this area require a good understanding of the law in relation to treatment of children with mental disorder, which is extremely complex.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document