Prison mental health inreach teams (PMHITs) were introduced in response to policy from 2003. This provision comes under the responsibility of the National Health Service. Service development and structure was not defined in policy. A total of 97 prisons of an estimated 100 known to have a PMHIT were targeted by postal questionnaire and responses covered 62 prisons. Team structures were captured in the data with specific regard to the number of available professional sessions.

Findings determine there is generally no correlation between input and prison capacity, although there was some evidence of correlation in the high secure (category A) estate and that the female estate was generally better served.

It is evident from this study that PMHITs have evolved piecemeal, with no clear standards or equity across the estate. This is of concern.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess patient knowledge and information provision about opioid substitution treatment among individuals with opiate dependence receiving treatment at four treatment centres in South London.

In total 118 people were recruited to the study. Participants answered a mean of 14 out of 34 questions assessing a range of factors such as medication, blood-borne viruses and overdose correctly. Participants overestimated their performance on average by almost 40%. Individuals with a history of previous treatments scored significantly higher than those in their first treatment episode. The majority reported having been given written information on most of the topics assessed.

The results of this study highlight the need to improve education about opioid dependence and its treatment. Poorly informed patients are unlikely to make optimal treatment choices. Improving patients' knowledge and understanding about treatment may lead to better engagement, retention, treatment adherence and, ultimately, better health outcomes.

We examined learning outcomes, practice impacts and implementation processes for a training intervention in diagnostic skills delivered to multidisciplinary child and adolescent mental health service practitioners (n = 63).

Training was viewed positively by most participants and associated with significant increases in practitioner self-efficacy, with the effect sustained at 8-month follow-up. A comparative audit before and after training indicated that clinicians were significantly more likely to assign an Axis I diagnosis following the training intervention. However, absolute rates of Axis I classification remained relatively low (< 40%) both before and after training. Practitioners were moderately successful at following through on personal plans for implementing new learning; inconsistent support for implementation was provided within teams.

A brief training workshop may have limited effects in changing practitioners' behaviour so that diagnoses are made more promptly and appropriately recorded. Future workforce development initiatives should consider more comprehensive and diversified strategies, including targeted post-training support, if increased self-efficacy following training is to be translated into sustained changes in diagnostic practice.

To assess junior doctors' knowledge of the procedures involved in involuntary admission of patients detained under Sections 5(2), 2 and 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983. A semi-quantitative research study of junior trainees affiliated to two psychiatry training schemes was carried out.

Trainees' knowledge of professionally relevant sections of the Mental Health Act was patchy. Knowledge correlated significantly with experience in clinical practice and with experience of using mental health legislation. Surprisingly, in-service training in mental health legislation had no effect on participants' knowledge.

Lack of knowledge and understanding raises the possibility of inappropriate use of the mental health legislation. This threatens patients' fundamental rights and can lead to complaints or litigation. There is a clear need to address this at an early stage in psychiatry training.

We developed material for a lecture hall teaching programme in child and adolescent psychiatry for medical students. Although lecture hall settings are not traditionally seen as conducive to exploring concepts, debating positions and encouraging higher-order thinking, we aimed to integrate these processes into the programme alongside educational theory and teaching strategies. We evaluated student and teacher perception of the new material through questionnaires before and after the introduction of the teaching package.

Six 1.5-hour teaching sessions were prepared. The evaluation study received 133 student and 4 teacher questionnaires on the previous teaching package, and 99 student and 7 teacher questionnaires on the new material. The questionnaires showed that the redesign resulted in significant improvements in various predefined measures, such as clarity and interactivity of the material.

A vivid and memorable teaching programme is essential in shaping students' understanding of the concepts in child and adolescent psychiatry as well as potentially making the specialty more attractive to medical undergraduates.