The provision of secure psychiatric services in Leeds; Paper i. A point prevalence study.

The results of a point prevalence study were used to assess the relative contributions of a local Special Care Unit, Regional Secure Unit and Special Hospitals to the provision of secure psychiatric services in Leeds. Over a six-month period, a comparison was undertaken of all patients admitted to the three tiers of security; particular emphasis was given to mentally abnormal offenders. Most admissions to the Special Care Unit were transferred from the general psychiatric wards; admissions to the Regional Secure Unit were mainly from the Court and prisons. On the census day, 7.1 patients per 100,000 population from the catchment area were in one of the three tiers of security, with the Special Hospitals providing the main long-stay service component. The findings show that the three tiers perform distinct, but complementary, functions, and emphasise a need for medium to long-stay secure facilities.