Zed sed "a small modern secure unit (very secure - guards, fences, the lot)"
My daughter used to be a nurse in one of the most secure units in Birmingham. I don't think they had outdoor guards a la Stalag 19, and all of the staff in the unit were just trained nurses, with some additional training like restraint etc and a panic alarm.
I don't recall her mentioning any attempted or successful escapes but they regularly had "incidents" and, if any were required, they were dependent on support from the police (about once a month I think), but there seemed to often be reluctance on the part of the police to attend as they thought the place had its own security staff, despite many "lessons learnt" multi agency meetings where it was clearly communicated that they hadn't.
She also did a few months (working, not committed!) in Broadmoor and definitely came into contact with one or two of the Big Names but won't tell us who. That also is apparently staffed with nurses... no "warders" or anything like that.
She now is a mental health nurse in the community. I'd say they are quite brave as she often visits pretty sick people alone, she just has to call in before she goes in and again when she comes out. If anything did happen I imagine there could be quite a time lag before anyone noticed, and even longer before help arrived.
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