Appendix 3Staff interview guide

Publication Details

Key objective: investigate integration between health, prison and social care services.

Introduction

  • 1.1 Could you tell me a little bit about your role?
  • 1.2 What specific duties/involvement do you have regarding/with older offenders?
  • 1.3 Are these official or unofficial duties?

Entry into prison

  • 2.1 Who gathers information regarding older offenders?
  • 2.2 When is this information collected?
  • 2.3 What information do you receive about older offenders?
  • 2.4 Do you get the information you need? Too much information? Irrelevant information?
  • 2.5 Are there problems with obtaining information?
  • 2.6 What happens to the information gathered at the assessment/induction phase?

Joined-up working within the prison

  • 3.1 Do you have a lead for older offenders within the establishment?
  • 3.2 Is this a prison or health care member of staff, or is there one in each department?
  • 3.3 Does the lead/leads link in with other departments in the prison and with outside agencies? If so, in what ways?
  • 3.4 What inhibits/facilitates this liaison function?
  • 3.5 Is there anything that could be improved concerning this role?
  • 3.6 If no older lead present, are you aware of such a role?
  • 3.7 Do you think there is a need to have such a role?
  • 3.8 In what ways do you and your colleagues work with other departments to support older offenders?
  • 3.9 What facilitates this joined-up working?
  • 3.10 What blocks such work?
  • 3.11 How could this be improved?

Communication/information sharing

  • 4.1 How do you share information between departments within the prison? Make referrals? Seek advice? Written means, informal meetings?
  • 4.2 How appropriate are these systems of communication? How could they be improved? Quantity of information received?

Internal staff working with external agencies

  • 5.1 What services do you link up with to support older offenders?
  • 5.2 What services do you think need to be involved with older offenders?
  • 5.3 What assists joined-up working?
  • 5.4 What are the barriers to joined-up working?
  • 5.5 What aspects of joined-up working could be improved?
  • 5.6 Are there any other services available that you think should be involved?
  • 5.7 How do you and your colleagues communicate with external agencies? To make referrals? In seeking advice?
  • 5.8 What are the problems you face working with external agencies?
  • 5.9 What would be a way of improving the communication/information gathering/referral process?

Discharge from prison/support in the community

  • 6.1 What is your role in the release of an ‘older’ offender?
  • 6.2 How far in advance does this take place?
  • 6.3 When is the offender notified about this process?
  • 6.4 How do you work with external agencies to support the release of ‘older’ offenders?
  • 6.5 What departments work with agencies to support the release of an older offender?
  • 6.6 What works well during this?
  • 6.7 How could this be improved?
  • 6.8 What communication takes place between you, your colleagues and external agencies involved in the release of ‘older’ offenders?
  • 6.9 What works well in this process?
  • 6.10 What doesn't work well in this process?

Summary

  • 7.1 What ways do you feel your establishment is successful in supporting ‘older’ offenders?
  • 7.2 How does your establishment support joined-up working between departments?
  • 7.3 How does your establishment support collaborative working with other agencies/services?
  • 7.4 What ways do you feel your establishment is successful at exchanging information?
  • 7.5 What are the barriers to appropriately supporting ‘older’ offenders?
  • 7.6 Is there anything else you would like to add about health and social care services for ‘older’ offenders at this establishment?