Ashworth Hospital

Ashworth Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital at Maghull, in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England.

Ashworth is one of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales, alongside Rampton and Broadmoor, that exist to work with people who require treatment due to their "dangerous, violent or criminal propensities". Carstairs Hospital provides high-security care for patients from Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It is managed by Mersey Care NHS Trust. Patients are admitted to Ashworth Hospital in a range of ways but all come because they present a grave danger to themselves and/or other people. The majority, but not all, of Ashworth Hospital patients either come from prison, through the court system or from another secure unit. Not all patients who are referred to Ashworth Hospital are admitted. Each person being considered for admission is assessed for suitability by a panel of senior clinicians. Once admitted the patient undergoes a period of assessment in one of the admission wards. Assessment can take just a few weeks or many months depending on the complexity of the patient’s condition. Some patients only stay at the hospital for a short period; others stay for many years, with the average length of stay being approximately six years. Patients remain in the high-security service until they are safe and well enough to move to a medium-security or other unit. The majority of patients in Ashworth Hospital come from the North West, West Midlands or Wales. Whenever possible, patients in need of high-security care are treated in the high-security hospital which is nearest to their home in order to make it easier for relatives and friends to visit. The range of problems experienced by patients at Ashworth Hospital includes a wide variety of mental disorders, with the majority experiencing psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia. Many also have comorbid personality disorder and some have personality disorders alone.

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