Exploring diabetes care in a medium secure forensic setting

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Exploring diabetes care in a medium secure forensic mental health service

• IRAS ID

  268790

• Contact name

  Tammi Walker

• Contact email

  t.walker@hud.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Huddersfield

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 9 months, 31 days

• Research summary

  The physical health of people with a severe mental illness in the UK has been recognised as a priority. Health outcomes for this group are poor. People with schizophrenia will die 15–20 years earlier than people without a mental health condition, from long-term conditions such as diabetes (Department of Health, 2016).
  In the UK, primary care and the general practice team play a key role in the management of diabetes. In forensic mental health, service users are normally long-term residents of mental health care services and are not usually cared for by a general practitioner (NICE Guidance, 2016). Instead, they are dependent on mental health staff who are not routinely trained in the management of conditions such as diabetes and its complications (Ignazio et al 2017]. Managing diabetes in forensic mental health settings can therefore present unique challenges.

  This pilot study will examine the occurrence and management of type 1 & 2 diabetes in one 90 bedded NHS medium secure hospital in Yorkshire.

  The aims are to:
  1. Undertake an anonymised retrospective review (audit) of all service users admitted over a three-year period (April 2016 – Mar 2019) to explore the rate (incidence) and actual number (prevalence) of diabetes
  2. Explore (through interviews/focus groups):
  a. current practices of primary care professionals delivering diabetes care in the service
  b. service users experiences of diabetes care in the service.
  c. mental health professionals (in the service) current knowledge, past training in diabetes care, current diabetes care activity and training needs

  This pilot project is important as little is known about this area and high-quality diabetes care is needed to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and to improve its management in service users in medium secure settings.

  The study will open June 2019 and is anticipated to close March 2020.

• REC name

  London - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  19/LO/1291

• Date of REC Opinion

  18 Sep 2019

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion