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Women's Enhanced Medium Secure Services (WEMSS) was a concept borne out of findings that an inappropriate number of women were being held in high secure services, despite not fulfilling high secure criterion. A qualitative study of women service users' views of living in WEMSS and comparator medium secure services (MSS) in the UK is presented. Sixteen service users participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis identified four main themes: experiences of current placement versus previous placements, relationships with staff, challenges of living with other women and having a voice – being involved in care and treatment. The accounts reported suggest that women in WEMSS and standard MSS have very similar experiences of their service, relationships with staff, living with other women and involvement in care. This qualitative study suggests that women in WEMSS and comparable women in MSS have very similar perspectives on what works well in their current services and what is important to them. The main differences between WEMSS and MSS women's accounts were in relation to the amount of pre-transfer information they received and levels of staff support. Implications for practice are discussed, including service-user empowerment addressing barriers to relational security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women’s enhanced medium secure services (WEMSS) is a model of care aimed at providing a more appropriate level of security for women and, in so doing, reducing the number of women in high secure psychiatric services. In 2007, three Department of Health commissioned WEMSS pilots became operational. This study compared the clinical outcomes of women in WEMSS with control women in six standard medium secure services and one high secure service matched on key clinical and risk characteristics, in order to examine their pathways of care. Our findings confirm that the WEMSS pilots were successful in transitioning women from high secure services who had previously been thought unsuitable for medium secure services. However, WEMSS showed no additional clinical benefit, suggesting that these women could be cared for equally well within standard medium secure services. We make recommendations about WEMSS and the future shape of women’s secure care in England. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the treatment and management of dissociation in Great Britain. Topics covered include different attitudes towards the concept of dissociative disorders, the lack of services and support for dissociative disorder patients and the suggestion that the cost of dissociative disorder treatment and management can be reduced by providing specialized services.

This article considers some of the complexities in striving for informed consent, as experienced by a trainee clinical psychologist. This includes reflections from several clinical examples, including the potential impact of the consent process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seagrass beds are critically important habitats delivering a range of ecosystem service benefits that support human wellbeing. They are, however, declining globally at an unprecedented rate. The damaging effects on Zostera marina (Common Eelgrass) seagrass beds in UK waters from mechanical recreational boating activities, namely anchoring and traditional swing mooring scour, suggest that measures of implementing management to mitigate human impacts need prioritising. Eco-moorings, a design that reduces the abrasion pressure of anchoring and mooring on the seabed, are such a mitigation method. In the UK, limited test sites and a lack of social acceptance of the technology compounds the limited uptake of eco-moorings to date. To advance the evidence base, this study focusses on a bespoke eco-mooring design deployed in 2017 to protect seagrass beds within a popular anchorage in Southwest England. We assess the behavioural and social responses of recreational boaters to the trial eco-mooring through 1) mapping of boating activity pre- and post-deployment and 2) structured questionnaires both on-site and online to local and national audiences respectively. Results of mapped boating activity demonstrated a shoreward distribution shift of anchoring away from the deployed eco-mooring, with 45.4% of all anchoring vessels directly within or within a range of potential influence of the seagrass bed. Through the deployment of the eco-mooring (where no mooring previously existed), an estimated additional 20% of anchoring pressure was alleviated from the seagrass bed. A total of 89.6% of on-site respondents reacted positively to the prospect of further eco-moorings being deployed locally. When questioned, 74.6% of on-site and 82.8% of online respondents demonstrated a preference for the physical action of mooring a vessel over anchoring. This suggests that implementation of eco-moorings in seagrass-dense regions could successfully alleviate anchor damage, especially where over half of respondents indicated an awareness of seagrass presence prior to anchoring their vessel and/or hesitance to cease visiting preferential anchoring sites (sheltered bays). This study recommends targeting conservation guidance at the powerboat community, the dominant group anchoring/mooring in the study area and identified as not currently engaged in seagrass education campaigns. It is proposed that management introduce incentives such as free of charge eco-moorings and/or anchoring charges in Marine Protected Areas/Voluntary No Anchor Zones to conserve and recover seagrass and other sensitive seabed habitats nationally. • Of all vessels, 45.4% anchored within or within range of influence of the mapped seagrass bed. • Eco-mooring use alleviated an estimated 20% of anchoring within range of the seagrass bed. • On-site (74.6%) and online (82.8%) respondents demonstrated a preference for mooring over anchoring. • This study highlighted hesitance from boaters to cease visiting preferential anchoring sites. • Top-down management should urgently deploy eco-moorings with free-of-charge incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]