Expansion in CNWL's Health and Justice Directorate

CNWL’s Health and Justice Directorate is today welcoming news that two of its services are expanding.

Staff from the Primary Care and Substance Misuse Services are joining CNWL’s Health and Wellbeing Team at YOI Cookham Wood. These have transferred to CNWL from the previous providers.

This comes after CNWL was awarded the integrated contract for the next seven years following a recent tender process.

CNWL began working at Cookham Wood in 2014 when it started delivering the health and wellbeing  services.

In 2018 it initiated the Secure Stairs Programme through the Health and Wellbeing Team at Cookham Wood.

Secure Stairs forms part of the specialised health and justice work commissioned through NHS England’s Five Year Forward View for Mental Health launched in 2016 to improve mental healthcare provision across the UK.

It focuses on young people being accommodated in England’s secure children’s homes (SCHs), secure training centres (STCs) and young offender institutions (YOIs).

Service Director Patrick Gillespie said: “The Health and Justice Team is delighted to be welcoming the Primary Care and Substance Misuse Services to CNWL to improve how we support and care for young people at Cookham Wood and beyond.” 

CNWL’s Liaison and Diversion Services are also expanding.

Its services are set to move into Harrow Crown Court as of 1 April 2022.

CNWL’s Liaison and Diversion services now cover two Crown Courts, one of which is the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey), four Magistrates courts, five Police custody suites and its youth service which covers five London boroughs.

The service is part of an NHS nationwide programme set up to address the needs of mentally ill and vulnerable offenders at the earliest opportunity in the criminal justice system – the point at which an individual is arrested.