Written Question · S3W-19481 · Session 3
What plans it has to ensure that when provision at the State Hospital is reduced to 140 beds there will be adequate provision in high, medi…
The question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that when provision at the State Hospital is reduced to 140 beds there will be adequate provision in high, medium and low secure units for (a) male and (b) female offenders requiring inpatient treatment.
The answer
The current policy on the management of mentally disordered offenders was established in January 1999 and is outlined in the document Health, Social Work and related services for Mentally Disordered Offenders in Scotland (Scottish Office, 1999). The overall aim of that policy has been to co-ordinate care and support for the benefit of the individual and to ensure public safety. The continuing direction of that policy since 1999 has resulted in the creation in Scotland of two regional medium secure facilities.
The Orchard Clinic, which opened in 2000 in Edinburgh, provides 50 medium secure beds primarily for the population of the East of Scotland. The Rowanbank Clinic opened last year in Glasgow and provides 74 beds, primarily for the West of Scotland. The creation of these new units has seen a reduction in the number of beds required at the State Hospital. Plans are also being progressed for additional medium secure facilities at the Murray Royal Hospital, Perth providing 32 male beds.
Further work has been taken forward by the Forensic Network, the three regional planning partnerships and the Scottish Government to model the future requirement for beds and the outcome of that work was published as a health department letter (HDL(2006)48) in 2006. That 2006 HDL set out the government''s policy position with respect to the development of forensic mental health services in Scotland, the expectation that the forensic service configuration within Scotland is required to provide a full range of forensic inpatient services and the level at which those services should be commissioned. The commissioning structure recognised that it was not reasonable to expect each NHS board to provide services at each level in light of the relatively small numbers of patients involved and the specialised nature of the services (and staff) required to care for and treat these groups of patients. The expectation was and is that groups of NHS boards will come together to plan the provision of some services on a regional basis, and that these regional planning groups have to plan for all services outside the state hospital to ensure patients move through the system once out of the State Hospital. Discussions continue in that regard between health boards themselves as to how best to meet the need of these particular patient groups, and the Scottish Government continues to meet with the regional planning leads to monitor progress in relation to these services.
The Orchard Clinic, which opened in 2000 in Edinburgh, provides 50 medium secure beds primarily for the population of the East of Scotland. The Rowanbank Clinic opened last year in Glasgow and provides 74 beds, primarily for the West of Scotland. The creation of these new units has seen a reduction in the number of beds required at the State Hospital. Plans are also being progressed for additional medium secure facilities at the Murray Royal Hospital, Perth providing 32 male beds.
Further work has been taken forward by the Forensic Network, the three regional planning partnerships and the Scottish Government to model the future requirement for beds and the outcome of that work was published as a health department letter (HDL(2006)48) in 2006. That 2006 HDL set out the government''s policy position with respect to the development of forensic mental health services in Scotland, the expectation that the forensic service configuration within Scotland is required to provide a full range of forensic inpatient services and the level at which those services should be commissioned. The commissioning structure recognised that it was not reasonable to expect each NHS board to provide services at each level in light of the relatively small numbers of patients involved and the specialised nature of the services (and staff) required to care for and treat these groups of patients. The expectation was and is that groups of NHS boards will come together to plan the provision of some services on a regional basis, and that these regional planning groups have to plan for all services outside the state hospital to ensure patients move through the system once out of the State Hospital. Discussions continue in that regard between health boards themselves as to how best to meet the need of these particular patient groups, and the Scottish Government continues to meet with the regional planning leads to monitor progress in relation to these services.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S3W-19481 by reference.