Women's Mental Health - low secure

Maldon ward is a six-bed low secure unit focusing on recovery and resettlement, with an emphasis on community reintegration for patients making the transition to a less restrictive environment.

Maldon is located on the ground floor with its own garden, conservatory and a kitchen open for patients throughout the day, and is situated on the perimeter of our low secure unit on the outskirts in Essex.

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Comfortable living area

Large conservatory leading to the garden

Pool table

Space for arts and activities

Admission criteria

Maldon admits women aged over 18 who are detained under the Mental Health Act and who present with a wide range of mental disorders and complex psychopathologies, including;

complex mental and personality disorders
schizophrenia
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
behavioural difficulties
patients presenting with serious self-harming / suicidal behaviour
substance and alcohol misuse
a history of violence and offending
serious chronic underlying physical pathology
co-morbid diagnoses

Consideration is also given to other diagnostic groups including people with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and learning disability (LD), dependent on the patient’s ability to be integrated in to open rehabilitation and other risk factors.

Treatment and care

Recovery and Rehabilitation: Maldon ward values
The work of the recovery and rehabilitation service is founded on the following values:

• accentuate the positive: respect, kindness, focused on the positives and in collaboration
• enabling, empowering and collaborating: focusing on collaborating with patients, on optimising control over treatment and their stay with us
• stop before you start: comprehensive psychological assessments resulting in a formulation prior to interventions
• formulation based: understanding how problems emerge, how they are maintained, and agreeing intervention plans that focus on strengthening strengths and reducing risks
• evidence inspired: offering interventions with an evidence base
• milieu based: contributing to the creation of a positive living and learning environment.

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy programme

For those patients with specific personality disorder traits the ward offers a dialectical behavioural therapy sessions, helping women to manage difficult emotions through experience, recognition and acceptance.

Supporting patients on their journey of healing

The culture on the ward is rooted by the belief that people have a right to stay in control of their lives, and that the role of staff is to support patients in their ongoing journey of healing. Through 'My Shared Pathway' we place the patient at the heart of their own recovery programme, and instil in them the skills to identify, understand and take responsibility for their own behaviour.

More information

Women's service brochure Women's service diagram Women's PD service brochure

Next steps

Discharge is considered at admission and our clinical and social work teams work with appropriate case managers and community teams to support transition to the least restrictive environment.