Hi all Do any contributors on the forum have any guides or risk assessments for contractors working on secure/semi secure mental health units. Our employees will be undertaking routine day to day maintenance on these units and have an escort with them at all times, the ratio of escorts to employees depending on the severity of risk on the ward. Further to induction I would like a guidance/tool box talk in place. My main concern is being confronted by the patients in the immediate work area.

Hi Paul B, Pm me and I may be able to help. I can share a control of contractors document I have in place for such situations. Kevin

While of course you are right to consider this issue as part of any risk assessment, I really do not think it is the biggest issue I worked in mental health settings for many years, including for the Trust who operate some of the biggest forensic mental health units in the UK. One female unit has a wards in 'streets' - corridors running off of a 'high street' - an atrium with shops including a hairdressers with scissors and other sharp instruments. Far from these buildings being filled with out of control maniacs that run riot wanting to rip people's heads off, clients are subject to care plans involving medication and other therapies. Those with severe mental health issues are far more compliant and under control in a mental health setting than say if a worker was engaged alone maintaining a block of flats and came across someone similar who had not taken their medication or even been diagnosed This is not a criticism of the OP or any view since, I am just saying this risk needs to be considered with a sense of proportion. I would rate another issue much higher, in that symptoms of some groups of inmates general behaviour and discipline in some units is very poor - akin to far worse than St Trinians! Where else would you have people setting fire to detector heads for fun? So keeping an eye on tools and goods is essential, as often clever people with lots on time on their hands can be very creative in causing problems with the most benign objects. By this I mean vandalism more than harm. I have had experience of a client who - using lateral thinking and their scientific background- managed to ignite an 'ignitable' mattress. Talk to the nursing staff in the MH Unit - not just the maintenance staff. They routinely work alone with clients often in some difficult environments. They will have lots of advice and experience to share

Paul, I can understand your concerns but as you are escorted they will have the control of were you go and when. One thing to remember is that patients are people and they like to interact with new people, if they say hello dn wnat a chat give them the time, the escort will move them on when they are ready too. I worked for Merseycare and went into all the establishments that they run to complete fire risk assessments, sometimes i was on my own and found that patients just wanted a little time, some were abusive of course but you get them everywhere.