Independent investigation: Nicholas Windsor, Northampton (2006)

If MAPPA is the chosen vehicle of the main multi-agency planning for such individuals outside that of the multi-disciplinary care team planning of the Trust’s mental health services then the Panel recommends there needs to be a clearly established agreed set of activities underpinning and holding this process together which are understood and enacted by the entire clinical and care staff of the Trust.

The Trust to devise an annual audit of the activity of its staff in these processes and to report the outcome to the Board.

The Trust should undertake a thorough review of policy and working relationships with the County Constabulary, Probation Trust and other major ‘duty to cooperate’ agencies paying particular attention to:
• The role and function of officers and staff allocated to the liaison and operational inter-agency function of Public Protection through the MAPPA process.
• The review of all existing protocols and agreements currently operated between the police, other agencies and the Trust relating to the sharing of information.
• To describe in one operational document, which can be used as staff information and development purposes, the processes adopted by the main agencies involved in MAPPA arrangements and how these services are accessed by referral.
• To ensure that senior clinical staff and managers are all aware of the elements of MAPPA’s role and function which affect their practice and receive appropriate guidance of actions to be taken and this be embedded in their job description and reviewed with them.
• To agree how the flow of information will be coordinated in a timely, accurate and comprehensive manner between agencies.
• To define the Role of any appointed Care Programme Approach Care Coordinator in the MAPPA process.

Those staff with a role to play in the MAPPA system should have this identified in their job descriptions which in turn should be subject to supervision and review