Operation Stonethwaite

Synopsis

Operation Stonethwaite is a police led initiative that makes it easier to prosecute mentally disordered offenders. Allied to Operation Stonethwaite is the Trust’s Police Interventions Policy. Within the policy sit two appendices; 6 and 5. When an offence has been reported to the police, the nurse in charge of the ward completes the appendix 6 document. If the incident passes the public interest test, the next stage is for the appendix 5 to be completed by the Responsible Clinician. The process is in place across the West Midlands and it has radically improved the success rate in terms of positive criminal justice outcomes. Two such recent success were a record sentence for over 13 years with a life order for an attempted murder by a patient who was on a PICU, and another for over 3 years for assault by a patient on staff on an acute ward. The Trust is fully committed to de-escalation and preventing incidents in the first place. However, it will always prosecute those that commit offences against its staff.

The presentation will highlight the successes and the challenges faced in trying to implement the policy. It will highlight the importance of working in collaboration with the police and having a process in place that supports and is supported by the criminal justice process.