Transfers of remand and sentenced prisoners to hospital under the mental health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003

ABSTRACT

In the United Kingdom, prisoners with mental disorder who require inpatient treatment may be transferred to hospital under mental health legislation. This retrospective service evaluation of 75 prisoners across Scotland aimed to evaluate transfers and their duration under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. The median time from referral to transfer was 12 days, a result much shorter than reported timescales in England. Transfer duration was affected only by the level of security the prisoner was transferred to. Findings from this study support the case for increasing the provision of secure beds across the country and designing much needed specialised forensic services.

KEYWORDS:

• Prison
• prisoners
• mentally disordered offenders
• mental health legislation
• forensic psychiatry
• transfer times

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the Mental Welfare Commission for providing data on the transferred prisoners and their corresponding Orders. I would also like to thank Drs Daniel Bennett (Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist and Honorary Senior Lecturer, NHS Grampian) and Louise Ramsay (Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde) for their invaluable advice and support whilst completing this project.

Disclosure statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.