"I couldn't have done it on my own." Perspectives of patients preparing for discharge from a UK high secure hospital. Issue 1 (2014) - Sarah Ann Sheryl Madders
Abstract Purpose – Discharge preparation from high to medium levels of security has received little attention from researchers to date, but is a critical stage in a patient's pathway. This paper aims to capture the perspectives of patients who are preparing to move on from high to medium security. Design/methodology/approach – Nine patients who were in the "discharge preparation" stage of their pathway were interviewed to capture their perspectives on the process. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings – Nine themes were identified as representing the patient interviews: trust and support, feeling empowered, journey of self‐acceptance, skilling‐up, getting to know the Medium Secure Unit (MSU), feeling disempowered and unvalued, issues with the system, anxiety about endings, and stigma and society. Originality/value – This paper gives voice to patients across clinical directorates at a UK high secure hospital regarding their perspectives on what has helped and hindered their discharge preparation. It presents some new findings, and recommended good practice, which should be of use to clinicians and managers who wish to enhance discharge preparation interventions for patients within high secure services. Acknowledgements This study was made possible due to the patients at Rampton Hospital who kindly offered their participation, the support of their clinicians who offered consultation and general assistance, and the Integrated Care Pathways Project Board who commissioned this project. The authors would also like to thank Ilona Kruppa, Sue Jones, Tammy Walker, Mike Ferriter, Craig MacDonald and Catrin Morrissey for their encouragement, supervision, support and guidance.