Arrange for a healthcare representative to spend time in the Visitor Centre on a regular basis
Explain why this is a beneficial thing to do ....
- Consider approachability and trust: you might want to bring an NHS banner and/or wear an NHS uniform;
- Be clear on what messages and information you want to get across to families and visitors, and where to signpost them for more information – don’t forget the Your Guide to Prison Healthcare;
- Have a clear form of words ready to explain that you can’t discuss individual cases and why;
- Let patients know in advance that healthcare staff will be engaging with visitors, and reassure that no personal information will be discussed, to pre-empt any concerns.
Provide information for families to encourage key health actions
Families can help to encourage patients to get involved in specific health campaigns such as vaccinations or smoking cessation. An encouraging word from a mum or partner can make all the difference.
- Decide on the most important three pieces of information for families to know, and make sure each one has a clear and realistic action that families can take. For example: we offer flu vaccinations during X time period – encourage your loved one to get vaccinated;
- Ask your Family Services Provider to help you spread the word to visitors;
- If you have a printing budget, you can adapt Pact’s basic leaflet template to suit your needs, [What's this?] and/or produce posters. We recommend focusing on leaflets rather than posters if you can, because this is often more effective for getting messages across;
- If you have capacity, it’s great to try to measure the impact of this. How many families have been informed? Do you see an uptick in the target health actions as a result?
Put family involvement on the agenda in staff induction and staff meetings
The more your staff understand the benefits of involving family and carers, the more likely they are to do it in practice.
- Make sure that key points about family involvement are covered during inductions for new staff, and in refresher training. For example:
- Why involve families
- How to collect consent and family contact information
- When to involve families in patient care
- Safeguarding and security processes to follow;
- During staff meetings and clinical management meetings, designate someone to be responsible for asking “have we considered family involvement?”, especially for complex cases.
Where family involvement may be useful, someone should take an action to establish consent with the patient and, if successful, gather insights from the family.
Involving families in ACCTs
Family and carer involvement is a crucial, but often overlooked, part of the ACCT process. Families often understand a person’s needs, risks and coping strategies in ways that aren’t always visible in prison. Staying connected with loved ones can also support wellbeing, reduce isolation and provide reassurance during difficult times.
Although prison staff manage ACCTs, healthcare colleagues can play an important role in enabling family involvement, working closely with prison staff to ensure coordinated and appropriate engagement.
Healthcare staff should seek to establish a clear process for:
- Gaining patient consent to involve family
- Sharing relevant information with family members
- Bring family into the ACCT process and discussions around care.
A joined-up, multidisciplinary approach helps balance security needs with compassionate care, allowing families to contribute meaningfully while improving safety and outcomes for those on an ACCT.
Pact's Engaging Families in the ACCT process provides comprehensive advice about how to do this.