Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T23:16:24.796Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Supervised discharge orders in England

Compulsory care in the community

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Vanessa Pinfold ,
Jonathan Bindman ,
Karin Friedli ,
Andrew Beck  and
Graham Thornicroft
Vanessa Pinfold*
Affiliation:
Section of Community Psychiatry (PRISM), Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
Jonathan Bindman
Affiliation:
Section of Community Psychiatry (PRISM), Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
Karin Friedli
Affiliation:
Section of Community Psychiatry (PRISM), Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
Andrew Beck
Affiliation:
Section of Community Psychiatry (PRISM), Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
Graham Thornicroft
Affiliation:
Section of Community Psychiatry (PRISM), Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
*
∗Correspondence
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Aims and method

Supervised discharge orders were introduced in April 1996. This paper describes two national surveys of their use in all mental health provider trusts in England. Data were collected from key informants in mental health provider trusts using a postal survey in 1997, and a follow-up telephone survey in 1998.

Results

The total number of patients subject to supervised discharge in 1997 was 160, a mean of one per trust. In 1998, there were 378 cases, a mean of two cases per trust. The annual period prevalence in 1998 can be estimated as 510 cases, approximately one per 100000 total population per year. Seventeen applications of the ‘power to convey’ were identified.

Clinical implications

Supervised discharge is regarded as suitable for very few patients, though its use is growing. The controversial power to convey is seldom used in practice and barriers to its use are described.

Type
Original papers
Information
Psychiatric Bulletin , Volume 23 , Issue 4 , April 1999 , pp. 199 - 203
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

References

Bindman, J., Beck, A. & Thornicroft, G. (1998) National Evaluation of Supervision Registers: Report of Study Commissioned by the Department of Health. London: PRISM, Institute of Psychiatry.Google Scholar
Bowis, J. (1995) Orders of the Day: Mental Health (Patients in the Community) Bill Hansard, 20 June. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Bowling, A. (1997) Research Methods in Health. Buckingham: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Coffey, M. (1996) Supervised discharge. Nursing Times, 92, 50–52.Google Scholar
Dean, M. (1995) Alarm over supervised discharge orders. Lancet 345, 573.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1993a) Legislation Planned to Provide for Supervised Discharge of Psychiatric Patients . Virginia Bottomley Announces 10-Point Plan for Developing Successful and Safe Community Care. London: Department of Health.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1993b) Legal Powers on the Care of Mentally Ill People in the Community . Report of the Internal Review. London: Department of Health.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1998) In-patients Formally Detained in Hospitals under the Mental Health Act 1983 and other Legislation. London: Department of Health.Google Scholar
Dobson, F. (1998) Frank Dobson Outlines Third Way for Mental Health. http://www.coi.gov.uk/coi/depts/GDH.Google Scholar
Eastman, N. (1995) Anti-therapeutic community and mental health law. British Medical Journal 310, 1081–1082.Google Scholar
Hampson, S. & Davidson, P. (1994) Proposed new legislation for the care of mentally ill people in the community. Opinions of psychiatrists and social workers. Psychiatric Bulletin, 18, 726–729.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holloway, F. (1996) Supervised discharge – paper tiger. Psychiatric Bulletin, 20, 193–194.Google Scholar
NHS Executive (1996) Quarterly Monitoring Report for the Third Quarter of 1995/1996. Leeds: NHS Executive.Google Scholar
Robson, C. (1994) Real World Research: A Resource for Social Scientists and Practitioner Researchers. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Rogers, B. (1996) Supervised discharge: implications for practice. Mental Health Nursing, 16, 8–10.Google Scholar
Thompson, C. (1995) New powers for care of the mentally ill. p. 17. The Times, 23 March.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.