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The purpose of this paper is to further understand the needs of carers when a relative with dementia is admitted to an organic impatient ward.

A constructivist grounded theory approach was employed to generate a substantive theory to understand the needs of carers and how staff perceive carer needs when a relative is admitted to a dementia ward. Five relatives and six members of staff were interviewed using purposive and theoretical sampling. Interview transcripts were analysed using initial, focused and theoretical coding using constant comparative methods to develop the end theory.

The grounded theory concluded that carers have three categories of needs: “The Safe and Cared for Relative”, “The Informed Carer and “The Understanding, Responsive and Available Service”. Underpinning the needs are the relationships between carers, their relative and staff. Three barriers were identified which can impact on these needs being effectively met. These identified barriers were: Loss, Time and Ineffective Communication.

The grounded theory demonstrates that carers needs fundamentally relate to their relatives being safe and cared for and being included and informed during the admission. Relationships can be ruptured when a barrier prevents the needs from being effectively met. Recommendations are made to aim to reduce the impact of the barriers and to aid staff in developing their understanding of the carer experience.

This paper explores the experiences of people with borderline and low intelligence when compared to the general population. The aim was to explore whether people with low intelligence, who are rarely considered apart from the general population, might have particular needs in relation to health or social care. The method was secondary analysis of the ONS survey of psychiatric morbidity, 2000. Variables associated with low intelligence were identified and entered into a logistic regression. We found that a person with low intelligence was significantly more likely to be a smoker, have problems with paperwork and be renting their home, and a significant subgroup was more likely to be friendless. The pursuit of social justice and social inclusion may require greater attention to be paid to the health and well‐being of people with below‐average intelligence.

This commentary outlines research in the UK, briefly counterpointed against approaches used in the USA and Italy, to show how the Dutch position is distinct. Potential hurdles to translating Dutch ideas to the UK include the discomfort many staff express when invited to consider how they relate to clients and an increasingly legalistic culture which encourages people to want more certainty than an ethics committee can properly deliver. It concludes by identifying two issues that practice ethics committees might also consider: preventative work at a societal level, and going beyond residential situations to consider the complex ethical issues encountered in service relationships with people who live at home with their families.

People with intellectual disabilities commonly come into contact with the criminal justice system as victims, witnesses or suspects. Their intellectual disabilities may make them disadvantaged in relation to all components of the criminal justice system, including police interviews, fitness to plead and stand trial, capacity to give evidence in court, and issues to do with criminal responsibility and sentencing. The focus in this paper is on police interviews and the capacity of adults with intellectual disabilities to give evidence in Court. Research into the types of vulnerability seen by people interviewed by police have focused on interviewees' understanding of the Oath and their legal rights, suggestibility, acquiescence, compliance and perceptions of the consequences of making self‐incriminating admissions. The essential components of any interview and testifying in court require that the person can communicate effectively and give reliable answers and accounts of events. Research into police interviews has highlighted the importance of taking into account the interviewee's vulnerabilities and providing appropriate support, and suggests a more humane approach to interviews and when vulnerable people testify in Court.

Imprisonment for public protection (IPP) has been the subject of much attention and some controversy since its implementation in April 2005. High numbers of IPP prisoners, combined with a low release rate, have meant that IPP has had a significant impact on the prison population. This paper charts the genesis of IPP and its historical antecedents. It also explores IPP as an exemplar of the ‘rise of risk’ and focuses on its links to the ‘dangerous severe personality disorder’ pilots. It presents two hypotheses on the mental health implications of IPP.

The University Affiliated Programme (UAP) aims to improve service quality by working in partnership with local services. This article Reports on the establishment and development of linked services: three services for people with learning disabilities, living in small community houses that opened in late 1999 and early 2000. The focus of resources on a small number of linked services was designed to maximise the effectiveness of the involvement of the Tizard Centre, along with the Subscriber Network. It was intended that work in the linked services would be disseminated through this network. The UAP has worked with service users and providers since 1996, during which time users have moved from a long‐stay NHS hospital to community services. The service provider is also now a private organisation. The article outlines some of the projects which have been introduced or developed in these linked services and discusses some of the issues that have arisen while working in partnership with them. The benefits of working through a UAP will also be identified.