The provision of secure psychiatric services in Leeds; Paper ii. A survey of unmet need.

This paper reports the results of a survey of statutory and voluntary staff who are likely to have contact with people requiring treatment in the secure psychiatric facilities provided in Leeds. The survey seeks to assess whether there is under-provision of Secure Unit beds, and if the three-tier local secure service is adequately addressing the needs of patients in the Special hospitals, prisons and the community. Researchers monitored all demands for psychiatric reports to prison over a six-month period, to identify any unmet need for secure psychiatric facilities. The findings show that patients with a learning disability were unable to transfer from a Special Hospital to a lower level of security. There is also a significant unmet need for medium to long-stay Secure Unit beds, and that many patients in the community have significant unmet needs for access to psychiatric services, including structured, intensively staffed community accommodation.