Training and Research

St Mary's Hospital, Brain Injury Services are currently in the process of discussing collaborative research within the University of Birmingham. Our Clinicians are currently involved in a collaborative research project and are also presently involved in a research project with Headway - Needs of Brain Injury Prisoners.

All staff will receive mandatory training. In addition the induction programme will include training in Deaf awareness, deafness and development, mental health and deafness and working therapeutically with deaf people.

All staff will have a Personal Development Plan and there will be the expectation that staff will be trained to deliver certain psycho-educational interventions, under supervision. From interview staff can expect assessment of their needs in terms of BSL training and St George Healthcare Group is committed to delivering BSL training on an ongoing basis and at all levels. There is a paucity of research in the field of forensic mental health and deafness. Research activity will be encouraged as will links with academic institutions, in order to become a centre of excellence. In relation to research, there is an ongoing project to develop risk measures for Deaf offenders (Clinical Director) and involvement with the prison in-reach project, funded by the DoH TEA money (Clinical Director and Medical Director). In addition there are links with the Universities of Sheffield, Liverpool and UCLAN, are both involved in a research project with Dr J Shaw, Ashworth Hospital - funded by DOH investigating the experiences of Deaf people in the Criminal Justice System.

Within the service there will be MDT group/peer and individual clinical supervision and a robust supervision policy and structure, separate from the line management structure is being implemented developed.