Provision of Primary Care Services into Forensic Psychiatry

Department of Health Standards, which are now a contractual requirement, mandate that medium secure services must have a Primary Care Service provided by a specialist primary care provider in order to allow an equivalence of service to that available in the general population. The medium secure service at Newton Lodge has been designated as a medium secure provider on an interim basis pending the implementation of appropriate primary health care.The decision has been taken to expand the remit of the primary care service to provide equivalent input to the two low secure services on the Fieldhead Hospital site.There is a significant need for the long term care of this service user group, particularly given the lengths of stay for in-patients. There is a need for equity of access to primary care services with the general population and although in the past there has been a perception of this population consisting of mainly young and physically fit men, this is no longer the case.