This guidance, published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, aims to support good practice in dealing with out-of-area placements and provides advice on how to repatriate service users.

Download A guide to good practice in the use of out-of-area placements

The guidance:

• emphasises the need for clinicians, providers, managers and commissioners to minimise the use of out-of-area placements because of the associated human, social and financial costs
• clarifies the clinical and social factors associated with appropriate use of out-of-area placements
• provides a clinical perspective on good practice in relation to out-of-area placements including:
  • the systems required to oversee all out-of-area placements made by an organisation
  • step-by-step guidance for practitioners making an individual placement
• presents an overview of the statutory frameworks relevant to civil liberties
• offers practical advice on repatriation of service users from out-of-area placements
• demonstrates that repatriation must be linked to reinvestment in local services so that robust local care pathways are available to reduce the need for future out-of-area placements.