title: Assessment of a secure/intensive care/forensic ward.
abstract: 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.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000639:trends*; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D011329:Prisoners; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000639:trends*; D012606:Scotland; D012637:Security Measures / Q000639:trends*