Boosting Forensic Care: New Investment Powers Community Support
A recent funding boost in forensic mental health services at South London and Maudsley, is driving improvements aimed at strengthening forensic services across our four boroughs.
The £800k investment is the most significant investment in the last fifteen years and has enabled the service to make some very clear improvements to the service, which are designed to create a sustainable, effective service that improves outcomes for individuals and communities.
Key developments include:
- Expanded Psychiatry Sessions: Additional sessions have been introduced in Lambeth, addressing its high numbers of restricted patients with complex needs.
- New Care Coordinators: Recruitment is underway for four posts – one each in Lewisham and Croydon, and two in Lambeth – reducing reliance on agency staff and balancing caseloads.
- Improved Service Stability: Enabling transfer of cases back to local borough teams for better continuity of care.
- Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Model enhanced:
- Two Occupational Therapy posts to support discharge planning and increase community, social and employment opportunities.
- Standardising psychology provision across all boroughs, plus assistant psychologists to strengthen substance use interventions.
- Enhanced Substance Use Support: Introduction of behavioural treatment and peer group sessions to tackle substance misuse, a leading cause of relapse and offending.
Talking about the impact of this investment, Daniel Turner, Forensic Services Lead, said: “This investment isn’t just about resources, it’s about outcomes. We’re building a service that truly supports recovery. We are now able to identify and support discharge barriers for people who are inpatients and increase vocational opportunities and activity levels for people to access in the community as well. And by strengthening substance misuse support, we’re reducing risk and helping people stay on track in the community.”
