1. NHS GG&C Police Custody Healthcare
Colin MacDonald – Service Manager &
Grant Scott – Professional Nurse Advisor

2. The Police Custody Healthcare Service in NHS GG&C went live on 1st April 2014.
Replaced model of GPs directly employed by Police Scotland.

3. The service aims are to provide:
NHS standard healthcare in police custody settings
A seamless & sustainable service
An integrated system of care
The service is supported by:
Robust clinical governance
A network of clinical support
National strategic groups

4. NHS GG&C have 10 Police Custody Suites where healthcare & forensic services are provided:
Stewart St (18), London Rd (38), Govan (50), Cathcart (57), Greenock (57) , Clydebank (29), Baird St (36) , Maryhill (27), Paisley (24) & Partick (14)
Total of 353 cells in PCS across NHS GG&C

5. The PC Healthcare model in GG&C is a Nurse led
service with staff on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.
We are based at Govan Police Office and work
peripatetically from there. Nursing staff triage all
calls and allocate to the most appropriate clinician
on duty.
This model brings professional advantages through
the wide range of clinical expertise amongst the
medical and nursing team.

6. The current staffing levels are:
1 Service Manager
0.5 Professional Nurse Advisor
1 Senior Charge Nurse (Band 7)
19 Practitioner Nurses (Band 6)
Forensic Physicians
1 Administrator (Band 4)
Nursing staff in PCH Service come from a variety of
backgrounds - ED's, Addictions, MH, Prisons &
Homeless Healthcare
PCH Service currently has 5 NMP and 15 PGD's in
operation which resolve a lot of clinical activity in police
custody settings relating to prescribing medication for
common issues.

7. Statistical Information
Since starting on 1st April 2014 healthcare calls received have been consistently been above 1,600 per month. PCH Nurses have dealt with over 65% of all contacts since service commenced
Health Improvement work has been successful within this new healthcare area, examples being ABIs and Naloxone take home kits

8. PCH Service has direct liaison with key stakeholders
including :
Emergency Depts
Mental Health Services - including OOH & CT
Addiction Services
Archway
GP's
Community Pharmacies
Third sector agencies
Staff have access to ECS, Clinical Portal and
PiMs/EMIS to ensure robust medical history can be
obtained

9. Service Vision For Police Custody Healthcare
Development of closer joint working/ resource initiatives with Prison Healthcare
Support the development of nursing role within the service –NMP, ANP, Forensic duties.
TeleHealth
West Of Scotland Model

10. Mental Health Pathway for Police Custody Healthcare
The aim of this work is to provide guidance for staff from NHS GG&C Police Custody Healthcare service in the process for accessing appropriate Adult Mental Health Services for people who are assessed as requiring additional specialist MH input

11. Historically Poor outcomes for people in custody with MH needs:
No clear guidance around access to services.
Delays in assessment and treatment.
Inappropriate referrals to court CPN’s

12. Routine MH Referrals IT Systems check Assessment
Discussion with MH Services that person is known to or in their postcode area
The urgency of the referral is discussed and a response time is agreed.
Community Mental Health Teams in NHS GG&C aim to assess routine referrals within 4 weeks. This may be slightly longer if a medical or psychology appointment is necessary. ‘Soon’ referrals are seen within 5 working days.

13. Emergency MH Referrals
IT Systems check
Assessment
Discussion with MH Services that person is known to or in their postcode area
Liaise with Police colleagues re further assessment being required and practical arrangements of same

14. 24 Hour access Core hours – CMHT’s
Out of hours - Crisis Teams, OOH MH Services
Emergency Departments – Physical health checks and Psychiatric liaison service

15. Patient referred to Police Custody Healthcare Service by Police for assessment
Mon - Friday - 9am - 5pm
Allocation to most appropriate clinician for assessment
Known to Mental Health Services
Check relevant IT systems from information as part of triage
Not known to Mental Health Services
Contact service for information
Patient assessed by Police Custody Nurse
No input required
Signpost to local service/GP
Input required from Mental Health Service
Contact service to discuss and agree response time
Discuss with FP
Soon Referral
Emergency Referral
Routine referral
Police escort patient to agreed site and remain with patient until outcome agreed*
Forward written referral
Follow up CMHT/Crisis
Admit to Hospital
Return to Police Custody
*Out of Hours staff will assess in Police Custody Healthcare Suite