Contemporary Women's Secure Psychiatric Services in the United Kingdom: A Qualitative Analysis of Staff Views

This study is the first of its kind to explore the experiences of WEMSS staff, directly comparing them to staff in a standard medium secure service for women. The literature to date has focused on the experiences of service users, or staff views on working with women in secure care. AimThis qualitative study, embedded in a multi‐method evaluation of WEMSS, aimed to explore the views and experiences of staff in WEMSS and comparator medium secure services. MethodsQualitative interviews took place with nine WEMSS staff and nine comparator medium secure staff. Interviews focused on factors important for recovery, barriers to facilitating recovery and operational aspects of the service. DiscussionThis study provides a rare insight into the perspectives of staff working in UK women's secure services, an under‐researched area in the UK and internationally. Findings suggest that the success of services, including WEMSS, is compromised by operational factors such as the use of bank staff. Implications for PracticeComprehensive training and supervision should be mandatory for all staff, so best practice is met and staff adequately supported.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Source: Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Original Article Source Type: research