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Discharging inpatients with intellectual disability from secure to community services: risk assessment and management considerations

Verity Chester (Partnerships in Care Learning Disability Services, Norfolk, UK)
Anthony Scott Brown (Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, Cornwall, UK) (Health Tech Solutions Ltd, Cornwall, UK)
John Devapriam (Leicestershire Partnership Trust, Leicester, UK) (Care Quality Commission, UK)
Sharon Axby (Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CFT), Cornwall, UK)
Claire Hargreaves (Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CFT), Cornwall, UK)
Rohit Shankar (Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CFT), Cornwall, UK) (Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK)

Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities

ISSN: 2044-1282

Article publication date: 2 May 2017

694

Abstract

Purpose

There is increasing emphasis on caring for people with intellectual disabilities in the least restrictive, ideally community settings. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the risk factors considered by clinicians involved in discharging people from secure services.

Design/methodology/approach

The views of five senior clinicians were sought in semi structured interviews. Data were analysed thematically.

Findings

Themes related to risk assessment, risk management, and multidisciplinary and multiagency working. Illustrative quotes are used to evidence themes.

Practical implications

This study described the risk assessment and management factors considered during the discharge of patients from secure to community services, which are of direct relevance to multiple stakeholders post-Winterbourne.

Originality/value

Challenges when facilitating discharge were highlighted, such as ongoing risk management issues, or unexpected discharge from tribunals, and how these were addressed, via the development of extensive risk assessment and management processes, and interdisciplinary and interagency working.

Keywords

Citation

Chester, V., Brown, A.S., Devapriam, J., Axby, S., Hargreaves, C. and Shankar, R. (2017), "Discharging inpatients with intellectual disability from secure to community services: risk assessment and management considerations", Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 98-109. https://doi.org/10.1108/AMHID-01-2017-0003

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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