Community Forensic Mental Health Team

The Community Forensic Mental Health Service, is a multi-disciplinary team, which exists to aid the safe discharge of patients from medium and low secure units. The team are there to help patients who may be subject to restriction orders or require intensive monitoring or supervision.

The Community Forensic Mental Health team are comprised of specialists  to help meet the mental health, psychological, behavioural and social care needs of patients. They work in conjunction with other health and social care agencies, in a way which is mutually compatible with a public protection role.

The Team provide a service to those who meet the referral criteria. There is a four level model of criteria which is as follows:

• Level 1 – A specialist consultation, education and training role which may include, for example, a member of the Team attending case reviews, to offer advice and support to generic teams and a service co-ordination role or liaison between health and criminal justice.
• Level 2 – An in-depth assessment (which may include a standardised risk assessment and management plan) prepared by the Service with the referring team retaining responsibility.
• Level 3 – An agreed period of shared responsibility for any or all of a variety of reasons including to assess risk; to evaluate the interplay/operation of known risk factors; to offer a specialist piece of therapeutic work; and to assess the efficacy of risk reducing strategies.
• Level 4 – The Team taking full responsibility for the duration of need with referral back to the appropriate services when deemed appropriate.

The Community Forensic Mental Health Team has established links with Courts, Prisons, Police Service and Probation Service.

The service is accessed via Mental Health Services/Medium Secure Settings and Criminal Justice Agencies.

Staff may consult with the Community Forensic Mental Health Team if they have any patients that are involved with the Criminal Justice Agencies.