Police Custody in the North of England: Findings from a Health Needs Assessment in Durham and Darlington

Aims: To report on a health needs assessment undertaken in the Durham Constabulary (England) in 2013.

Methodology: The health needs assessment employed a variety of methods: analysis of arrest and healthcare data over a one year period; semi-structured interviews with the police and healthcare staff; and a survey of detainees' view of healthcare.

Main Findings: The main finding was that the healthcare provider to custody in Durham was delivering an appropriate multi-professional team of nurse, paramedics and forensic medical examiners that was responsive, trusted by the police and which gave detainee's few concerns.

Limitations: The main limitations are that the health needs assessment analysed retrospective data and did not examine healthcare outcomes.