Assessment of a secure/intensive care/forensic ward.

Recent trends in psychiatric hospitals have re-established the need for semi-secure, well-staffed acute wards. Such a ward is described and 400 consecutive admissions over a 34-month period reviewed. Using 13 beds all the acute patients requiring security and intensive treatment are managed from a total catchment area of 600,000. A wide range of referral agencies and diagnostic categories are encountered. Staff in the general psychiatric hospital where the ward is situated are satisfied with the service. A small group of chronically-disturbed patients require separate facilities.