Tackling drug problems on mental health wards with four-legged force

Action is being taken to tackle illegal drug use on mental health wards in Leeds using canine detection!

Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) has teamed up with West Yorkshire Police and City Group Security who brought in Jethro and Rowan the Drug Detection Dogs to their inpatient wards at the Becklin and Newsam Centres in Leeds.

Earlier this month they were sniffing out illegal substances on and around the premises to help staff improve safety and reduce harm to patients.

Fred Besa, Matron for Acute Services at the Trust (pictured far left), said: “Many of our patients have problems with substance misuse. It’s often one of the causes of their mental ill health and why they get admitted here in the first place.

“However, we cannot allow drug taking on our wards if we’re going to support people to become well again. So we have to take action where we think there’s a problem. The drug detection dogs have been a fantastic help and a big hit with staff and visitors.”

Jethro and Rowan belong to the K9 division of City Group Security.

Spencer Davies, Operations Manager at City Group Security said: “Our dogs and dog handlers work closely with the police and NHS staff. On a ‘search day’ we’ll hold a briefing first to work out a plan for a safe on-site search. This can vary from a partial targeted search or a search of the full unit and patients. The handler and K9 Unit are then escorted onto the ward.

“We’ll go through bedrooms, communal areas, gardens and we’ll check service users as well. The dogs will usually sit or freeze when they smell something of interest. We make sure we give them a break every 30 minutes so we don’t wear their noses out!”

Laura McDonagh, Head of Operations for Acute Services at the Trust, said: “Staff had been reporting issues with drugs being brought in and taken on the wards. That presents all kinds of problems for us. It’s not a safe environment for patients or staff to be in, and ultimately means patients don’t recover well and are likely to be readmitted.

“If drugs are identified, it gives us a chance to help that patient with any substance misuse problems but also work with the police to cut off the supply line.

“We’ll be inviting Jethro and Rowan back into our wards soon to check up on our progress to reduce substance misuse and supply.”

Pictured above from left to right:

Fred Besa, Matron for Acute Services at LYPFT

PC Sam Dixon

PC Andrei Sprinceana

PC Tim Rawson

PC Adam Wells (non-uniformed)

Jetro the Drug Detection Dog with his handler Dave Wilcox.

Page last updated: 23rd Jan 2025 1:09pm