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As a custody healthcare practitioner no two days are ever the same.
Here's what you can expect from an average day on the custody suite.
7am to 7.30am Arrive to custody for a handover from the outgoing healthcare practitioner (HCP) to assess the clinical risk in the suite. Time to ensure that detainees going off to court in the morning run are adequately medicated with all the correct paperwork prepared for those vulnerable detainees presenting to prison.
Once handover with the outgoing HCP is complete there's an opportunity to share risks and vulnerabilities from a police perspective in order that we're fully sighted on detainees who may not have been referred to the HCP for assessment.
9.30am Join a Microsoft Teams meeting to get a broad overview of detainee numbers within custody suites across London. This is a good opportunity to identify potential staffing issues, detainees presenting with significant risks, referrals, and plan how HCP care can be appropriately distributed.
10am Time to handover concerns to Liaison and Diversion staff who can assess detainees that both the HCP and the police have identified vulnerabilities with. The day duties have been triaged and emergency bags checked.
12.30pm Lunchtime
1pm HCP returns to the suite after lunch to reassess the clinical risk in the suite and assess the needs of the detainees present. The HCPs regularly receive visits from the Independent Custody Visitor to discuss recent changes in custody healthcare.
2.30pm Attend a bespoke training session for induction concerning novel psychoactive substances. We provide various training sessions for staff, including on the Mental Health Act, 136, forensic sampling and officer safety training to assist HCPs in de-escalation techniques. We've recently modernised our teaching program and included regular Professional Development Days for HCPs to remain engaged with the ever-changing landscape of forensic nursing.
We've implemented a new policy to safeguard juveniles and we deliver face-to-face training to give staff specific guidance on how to manage these calls and where to signpost people to ensure safety. It’s important for the team to actively involve themselves in research and education, as well as providing an outstanding service to detainees in line with our five year Healthcare Strategy.
3.30pm/4pm Update meeting with senior police officers to discuss the allocation of cells, detainees and healthcare provision for the forthcoming day shift. Working in custody is a fast-paced, exhilarating yet, challenging, environment, and it's vital that staff feel supported and have the opportunity to engage with colleagues whilst they are independent clinicians.
4pm to 6pm HCPs are likely to be called to attend local A&E Departments to obtain blood samples from detainees suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. This process needs to be completed at hospital as the detainee may be too unwell to be detained in custody.
7pm to 7.30pm Handover to incoming HCP. This is an opportunity to have a protected handover time to discuss what happened that day and to share ideas about how to plan for the care of the detainees before they're released, or before they go to court.
Find out what a custody healthcare practitioner is.
Find out about what kind of work you'll be doing.
Find out if you meet our eligibility criteria.
How you'll be trained and the opportunities for development.
Discover what you'll earn and the perks you can enjoy.
Begin your application here.
Visit one of our open days or recruitment fairs.