The keys areas of focus for the Provider Collaborative will be meeting the needs of autistic people, embedding co-production to ensure the voices of people who use secure services are heard and represented, making sure the right beds are in the right places, and the transformation of both the women's pathway and elements of community pathways.
Co-production
At the end of last year, a Co-production Network was established to ensure the voices of people who use secure services are heard and represented.
The network represents the three NHS trusts and four independent sector providers that make up the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Adult Secure Services Provider Collaborative.
Members will work together to share good practice and embed co-production within secure services, including in care planning, patient care and treatment, contributing to service development and providing peer support.
Meeting the needs of autistic people
To respond to the increase in autistic people detained in hospital, the Provider Collaborative has appointed an Autism Pathways Manager to provide support, advice and training to staff across the Provider Collaborative. A sensory grant has been funded to help people cope better within an inpatient setting. A Community of Practice has also been established to share learnings between providers about how to create safe and supportive environments for autistic people.
Transformation of the women's pathway
Work to transform the women's pathway, which forms part of NHS England's National Women’s Secure Pathway Transformation Programme, will build on recent developments. This includes establishing blended low and medium secure services at the Trevor Gibbens Unit in Kent and the Hellingly Centre in East Sussex and launching the Women's Outreach Service. A dedicated Clinical Lead for the Women's Forensic and Secure Pathway has also been recruited by the Provider Collaborative.
Community pathways transformation
A core principle of Provider Collaboratives nationally is to reduce reliance on inpatient care.
This includes reducing the need for admission to secure care and supporting timely discharge of patients and preventing readmission to hospital. This is being delivered through new services such as the Women's Outreach Service and by supporting psychiatrists with assessing the suitability of autistic adults for secure care.
There are also developing plans to invest in schemes to identify mentally ill prisoners earlier who require inpatient care, thus preventing the growing need for seclusion on admission, which can result in a longer length of stay.
To increase discharges, reduce the length of stay and prevent readmissions, the Provider Collaborative is working with ICB partners and local authorities to ensure the right level of oversight and support is available to effectively manage risk in the community.
For more information about the strategy, please email catherine.
