Secure settings and the scope for recovery: service users' perspectives on a new tier of care

This research attempts to explore in‐patient perspectives on the long‐stay, medium‐secure hospital wards in which they are based. Semi‐structured interviews focused on the care provided by the hospital in comparison with the high‐secure hospitals from which the participants had been transferred. Questions focused on the participants' perceptions of recovery and the scope for it at both sites.The data suggests that participants identify increased scope for recovery at the long‐stay, medium‐secure facility, and that this is promoted by increased flexibility due to less emphasis on security. Important factors discussed by participants were increased access to a range of activities, graded access into the community, the different atmosphere in the hospital sites and the differences in potential for developing trusting relationships with staff and fellow in‐patients.