Older adult forensic mental health patients: QoL, health, wellbeing
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Older adult forensic mental health patients: defining barriers, facilitators and ‘what works’ to enable better quality of life, health and wellbeing, reduced risk, and lower levels of security
IRAS ID
258016
Contact name
Chris Griffiths
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
ENHANCE, ENHANCE
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 0 days
Research summary
Forensic psychiatric services work with people with mental illness and who pose a risk to themselves or others deemed sufficiently high to require confinement to secure facilities, or risk assessment and management in the community (JCPMH, 2013). Older forensic psychiatric patients (defined as aged 55 or over) typically have histories of childhood neglect/abuse, substance abuse, poor health self-management, psychiatric admission, homelessness, violence, cognitive difficulties, mobility problems, sensory impairment, and chronic physical illness (Lightbody et al., 2010; Di Lorito et al. 2018). This means they have complex needs and risks.
The remit of forensic psychiatric services is to respond to patients’ individual treatment needs to enable recovery and better levels of health, wellbeing and quality of life and lower levels of risk to themselves and others (Anderson, 2011). It is important that psychiatric services fit individual needs to enable progression, recovery and better levels of health, wellbeing and quality of life (Anderson, 2011). Unmet needs mean some patients remain in a higher level of security than is appropriate for their risk level (Yorston, 1999).
The overall aim of this 20 month National Institute Heath Research RfPB funded research is to make recommendations with the goal of enhancing patient recovery and wellbeing and reducing risks. To understand needs, and barriers and facilitators to progress, in-depth interviews with UK patients and staff working with them will be undertaken. Using self-report measures this project will seek to understand patient wellbeing, health, cognitive functioning, and recovery levels.
A project advisory group will include older adults with experience of mental illness and the criminal justice system to gain their input into project set-up, delivery, designing project materials, interpreting qualitative data, and dissemination. Dissemination will be carried out through professional networks, social media, input into guidance and standards documentation, conference presentations, and academic, lay, and professional publications.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/EM/0350
Date of REC Opinion
7 Jan 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion