The new Women's Outreach Service, developed by the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership, provides dedicated support and advice to referring clinical teams, in particular Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU), and prison healthcare services.
The small, specialist Women's Outreach Service, which launched at the end of October, comprises a consultant forensic psychologist and a lead nurse. They will undertake detailed assessments and support teams to deliver effective interventions and, where possible, subsequent discharge. The aim of the service is to support women to receive care within the least restricted environment and without the need to be admitted into a secure inpatient service.
The service is one of a range of initiatives developed by the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Provider Collaborative designed to improve the experience and outcomes of women referred into secure services and is aligned to the National Women's Pathway Transformation Programme, led by NHS England.
The pilot, which will run for two years, is based a model developed by the Reach Out Adult Secure Provider Collaborative in the West Midlands.
Bex Hankins, lead nurse for the Women's Outreach Service, said:
"Our focus will be to equip clinical referring teams with the knowledge and skills that will enable women to remain in situ with the right support to prevent an unnecessary admission to secure care services, where possible."
"Our aim is to ensure that women are able to access improved clinical pathways and reduce the number of women placed in secure inpatient service who do not benefit from secure care."
Pictured are Laura Killin - Consultant Forensic Psychologist and Bex Hankin - Lead nurse for the Women's Outreach Service.