Mental health needs of older forensic psychiatric patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The mental health needs of older patients and older patients with cognitive impairment/dementia living in secure forensic-psychiatric settings
IRAS ID
214001
Contact name
Birgit Vӧllm
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 17 days
Research summary
Older patients constitute a consistent share of the total population in secure forensic psychiatric services. In addition, they have been evidenced to have a length of stay in secure care that is well above that of the average patient. The difference could simply reflect that age contributes to a longer stay, but it could also point at a less than optimal service provision for the older patients.
In the prison system, the source of admission of around 60% of older forensic-psychiatric patients in secure settings, in the lack of a national policy, service provision for older prisoners is sparse. At present time, the lack of evidence-base on older patients in forensic-psychiatric settings does not indicate whether this is also experienced in forensic-psychiatry.
It is therefore timely to carry out a thorough investigation in this area in order to learn more about whether the current service provision is adequate and about the elements of care which can be improved.
The aim of the current research project is to bridge the existing knowledge gap and investigate the mental health needs of older people and older people with cognitive impairment/dementia living at Rampton Hospital and Arnold Lodge.
The objectives are:
1. To gather demographics, data on treatment response and index offenceon of all older patients (aged 50 years old and above) who have been living in the facility for at least one year.
2. To gather data on their socio-demographics, needs and treatment pathways through consultation of their clinical notes.
3. To assess their cognitive impairment and mental health needs.
4. To gather the views of patients and members of staff on the current service provision and on how to improve the system.
5. To develop a set of recommendations about how to address the complex needs of this population.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/EM/0505
Date of REC Opinion
17 Jan 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion