A Prison Mental Health Screening Unit: a first for New South Wales.
OBJECTIVE
The aims of this paper are to provide a description of a newly available service the Mental Health Screening Unit (MHSU), within the NSW prison system and to present the first 12 months in terms of the patients, its adaptations and its limitations.


METHODS
The first section of this paper provides a thorough description of the MHSU. The second looks at data collected for the period 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007. A variety of databases were utilized as sources.


RESULTS
There were a total of 604 admissions. The most common primary diagnoses were schizophrenia-related disorders. There were relatively few adverse incidents, and 18% of the acute unit population were transferred to the Long Bay Prison Hospital.


CONCLUSIONS
The MHSU had a considerable throughput of patients and managed a range of severe mental illnesses. The initial objectives of the MHSU have broadly been achieved. There are several future areas of research discussed.
Adams
Jonathon
J
Justice Health, Matraville, NSW, Australia. jonathon.adams@justicehealth.nsw.gov.au
Ellis
Andrew
A
Brown
Allison
A
Owens
Dale
D
Halsey
Rebecca
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000592:standards; D011330:Prisons; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult