[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-168869-en":3,"doc-seo-168869-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":95},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":11,"category_id":12,"category_name":13,"doc_title":14,"doc_description":15,"doc_content":16,"file_id":17,"file_url":18,"file_type":19,"file_size":20,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":11,"is_downloadable":11,"audit_status":11,"page_count":21,"language":22,"language_code":23,"site_id":24,"html_lang":23,"table_of_contents":25,"faqs":26,"seo_title":27,"seo_description":15,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},168869,687207024478,"Mia  ","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd",1,18,"Letters","Absent Without Leave (AWOL) & Missing Persons Policy - Version 6.0 - Executive Summary","Guidance for clinical staff and teams on what to do when a patient goes absent from Trust care, including AWOL from inpatient mental health areas and informal patients who walk out. The policy prioritizes safety for service users and the public, addressing security measures to reduce absconding risk. It clarifies that responsible clinical teams—not automatic police involvement—must take reasonable steps to locate the patient and ensure ongoing safety, aligned with relevant legal and reporting frameworks.","Absent Without Leave (AWOL) & Missing Persons Policy\nVersion Control Summary\n\u000f\nContents\nExecutive Summary\nThis policy is intended to provide guidance to clinical staff and teams regarding duties, responsibilities and actions to be taken when a patient goes absent from our care. Additionally, this policy is intended to provide guidance to clinical staff and teams regarding duties, responsibilities and actions to be taken when a patient or service user is considered missing.\nThe safety of service users and the general public must be at all times the prime consideration of clinical staff and teams. Inpatient units must consider the physical layout and security of clinical areas and take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of patients absconding.\nA patient going absent from our care – whether the patient is informal or detained under the Mental Health Act - should never automatically be viewed as a matter for the police, but rather the responsibility to take reasonable steps to locate the patient and ensure their safety remains with the responsible clinical team.\nKey Points.\nIntroduction\n1.1\tThis policy outlines procedures to be adopted and the roles and responsibilities of Trust staff in the event of a patient going missing whilst under the care of the Trust. Specifically, it outlines the procedures to be followed for patients who are absent without leave from inpatient mental health areas and patients who walk out from mental health inpatient areas. The policy is intended to provide safe practice for Trust staff in the management of patients who are missing or absent without leave (AWOL)\n1.2\tThis policy has been developed in consultation with local partner agencies, Metropolitan Police Service and London Ambulance Service, and is designed to ensure practice with respect to AWOL patients and those who walk out of inpatient settings is in accordance with the Mental Health Act Code of Practice, College of Policing risk grading definitions, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) reporting procedures, MPS Affinity Protocol and Right Care Right Person and relevant pan-London agreements developed by the Healthy London Partnership.\n1.3\tThe Local Security Management Specialist (LSMS) is the designated “Single Point of Contact” with the Police. Each Service/Directorate will have a named Modern Matron who will work with the LSMS and the Police at a more local level together to discuss the problem profile and solutions. This will be done through the local borough Police and Ambulance Liaison Meetings.\n2.0\tPurpose\n2.1\tThis policy sets out the procedures to be adopted in the event of a patient going absent from Hospital or other Trust healthcare setting without prior agreement or arrangement and also outlines the role of East London NHS Foundation Trust staff.\n2.2\tThis policy applies to patients admitted on an informal basis and those detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 as amended by the Mental Health Act 2007.\n2.3\tIt is intended to inform safe clinical practice in the management of patients who are missing or absent based on their risk assessment.  This policy should be read in conjunction with the following Trust policies:\nThe Mental Health Act Code of Practice\nAdmission and Discharge Policy\nObservation Policy\nClinical Risk Assessment Policy\nTrust Incident Reporting Policy\nRecord Keeping Policy\nCare Programme Approach Policy\nLeave for Informal Patients Policy\nSupervised Community Treatment Policy\nSafe Guarding Policies for Adults and Children\nSecure services policy and procedures on managing the absconding or escape of an in-patient.\n2.4 \tAt times patients may absent themselves from our care and this can happen for a variety of reasons. A patient may abscond from a hospital ward, abscond from escorting nurses or fail to return to the ward at the agreed time.\n3.0\tScope\n3.1\tThis policy relates to people in receipt of care and treatment from NHS Mental Health Trusts who:\nAre over the age of 18 and admitted to a mental health in-patient unit a","cbCaiofAGI7IS1AY","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiofAGI7IS1AY","docx",1558628,29,"English","en",105,"# Executive Summary\n## Key Points\n## Introduction\n## Purpose\n## Scope\n## Definitions","[{\"question\":\"Who is responsible for taking action when a patient goes absent from Trust care?\",\"answer\":\"The responsible clinical team must take reasonable steps to locate the patient and ensure their safety, rather than assuming the police should be involved automatically.\"},{\"question\":\"What types of situations does the policy cover?\",\"answer\":\"AWOL from inpatient mental health areas and informal patients walking out, including failing to return at the agreed time or leaving without prior arrangement with the multidisciplinary team.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the policy define a Walk out from a mental health inpatient area?\",\"answer\":\"It refers to an informally admitted patient who leaves the ward without prior arrangement with the MDT or fails to return to the unit at the agreed time with the MDT.\"},{\"question\":\"What counts as a Missing Person under the policy?\",\"answer\":\"A missing person is someone whose whereabouts cannot be established, especially where there may be crime, risk of harm, or unusual circumstances that raise safety concerns.\"}]","Absent Without Leave (AWOL) & Missing Persons Policy - 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