Liaison and Diversion service: successful stakeholder sessions

Berkshire Healthcare’s Liaison and Diversion service supports individuals involved with the Criminal Justice System, particularly those with mental health needs, disabilities or vulnerabilities. Liaison and Diversion is a signposting service that will assess individual needs, make onward referrals for treatment and will connect individuals with appropriate support providers. 

Published 14 January 2025

We’ve been providing Liaison and Diversion services for the Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight since 2019 and have recently been awarded two separate 7-year contracts by NHS England to continue the services for both regions.

As part of the contract award, there are some additional enhancements to the service provision including changing the pathways to holistically address the needs of children and young people within the Youth Justice System, offering Speech and Language Therapy, and working in partnership with healthcare providers in custody.  

We recently held two events with over 100 partners and stakeholders to re-launch the service, highlight the vital role of Liaison and Diversion in our communities, and discuss how we can work together effectively to deliver these changes.  

We welcomed speakers from NHS England Commissioners, Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary, as well as The Honourable Judge Bowes, The Honorary Recorder of Portsmouth and Resident Judge for Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. 

Attendees included the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Crown Court representatives, Offender Health, Children and Young People Services, Prison Healthcare and Offender Managers, Third Sector Organisations, Aspire, Nacro, Homeless Services, Op Nova Veteran Services, Youth Justice Service, and more. 

The events featured a diverse range of speakers, each offering valuable insights into different aspects of Liaison and Diversion. Ben Blease, Divisional Director for Mental Health at Berkshire Healthcare, provided an overview of the changes over the past 10 years. While Vicky Lattimore, Buckinghamshire and Reconnect Team Manager, and Jess Hillman, Clinical & Operational Lead for Hampshire & Isle of Wight, highlighted the support offered in custody settings.  

Other presentations covered court involvement, the importance of speech and language provision, and the introduction of new advanced Support Time Recovery (STR) worker roles, which were piloted successfully in Thames Valley and expanded across both regions in the new contract. 

The event concluded with a closing speech from Wisa Garmroudi, Senior Commissioning Manager Health & Justice South East and the NHS England South East Commissioner Victor Trimble. 

As we move forward, we’ll continue to build on the momentum generated by this event.  

Find out more 

Learn more about our Liaison and Diversion service (opens in the new window)