Government policy in the UK is emphasising a shift from inpatient to community-based management of those with intellectual disabilities and forensic needs. However, community services can be reluctant to accept patients deemed ready for discharge by inpatient forensic teams, and this leading to delayed discharges. An evidence-based discharge communication tool based on a comprehensive needs assessment is therefore required for patients with intellectual disabilities and forensic needs.
The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and implementation of the What I Need (WIN) plan in a Community Forensic Intellectual Disability Team. The WIN plan aims to create an effective discharge communication tool through carrying out a needs assessment based on the Camberwell Assessment of Need – Forensic Version (CANFOR).
The team and its stakeholders have observed several benefits following implementation of the WIN plan. The WIN is patient led and generates constructive dialogue around needs, risks and strengths between the patient, their family/carers and staff/clinicians. It is multidisciplinary, efficient to complete and collates information on individual patients’ current and historical forensic risks and needs in one document.
While delays in discharging in this population have been extensively studied, communication tools to support the process of discharge have received less focus. This paper describes the development and implementation of a discharge communication tool that incorporates risk management strategies for patients with intellectual disabilities and forensic needs.
