Prison psychiatry: is the training experience safe?
The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice
ISSN: 1755-6228
Article publication date: 11 May 2018
Issue publication date: 28 June 2018
Abstract
Purpose
Training in the prison settings is a mandatory part of higher training in forensic psychiatry. Violence in prisons is a recognised issue, which can impact on trainee safety and overall training experience. The Royal College of Psychiatrists have produced guidelines regarding the safety of the environment in inpatient mental health settings, but there is currently no such guidance regarding the prison setting. The purpose of this paper is to report on a survey of UK-based ST4-6 trainees in forensic psychiatry regarding their training experience in prisons, focusing on supervision and safety.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors constructed an electronic survey which comprised of 18 items. This was sent to each UK training programme director in forensic psychiatry, who were asked to distribute the survey to trainees in their region.
Findings
There were 36 unique responses, out of an approximate total of 100 trainees. The questions fell into two broad categories: trainee safety and trainee supervision. The main themes that arose were that the majority of trainees (59 per cent) reported that they had not received a formal induction at their prison and had not received training in using the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork framework (58 per cent) and serious incident review protocol (83 per cent). The vast majority (76 per cent) reported not being allocated a personal safety alarm, and 27 per cent reported having received a direct threat from a patient in prison. Responses with regards to consultant supervision were varied. The majority indicated that they received weekly supervision (62 per cent).
Originality/value
The findings indicate that there are a number of areas where both safety and supervision within the prison environment may be improved. This is concerning given the standards outlined by Promoting Excellence (General Medical Council), which highlights the importance of a safe and supported learning environment, and suggests the need for further analysis locally of training opportunities within prisons.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors of this study would like to thank all of the UK ST4-ST6 Forensic Psychiatry trainees who participated in the survey. The authors would also like to thank all of the UK Forensic Psychiatry Training Programme Directors who distributed the survey to their trainees, to KwikSurveys (www.kwiksurveys.com) for use of their online survey software, and to the Royal College of Psychiatrist’s Forensic faculty for their support with the survey. The authors report no declarations of interest.
Citation
Page, R., Tovey, M. and Hynes, F. (2018), "Prison psychiatry: is the training experience safe?", The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 219-227. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-02-2017-0014
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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