Appendix 3Staff interview guide
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?
