UXD702 Special Skills Development
By Muhammad Hadi, B01042316
Instructors: Paul McCormack, Maira Rahme
Word Count: 5732
Miro Link(Primary): https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVGIpNyKc=/?userEmail=hadihanif209@gmail.com&track=true&utm_source=notification&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=add-to-team-and-board&utm_content=go-to-board&share_link_id=468659816519&lid=4oe19kzdo5cf
Figma Link(Secondary):‣
1.0 Pharmacy Bridge Programme Logo
This project is designed in response to the brief, "Designing for Prison Release and Transition to Community," which requires students to investigate how service design and user-centered techniques can increase continuity of care, reduce system fragmentation, and promote better health and social outcomes for prisoners leaving prison. Rather than a single isolated/individual problem, the short defines prison release as a complex change spanning health, housing, money, digital access, and coordination among several departments.
In a broader sense, we concentrated on one high-risk turning moment: prisoners on Opioid Replacement Treatment (OST) released on Fridays, notably in unplanned or short-notice situations. We learned from thorough desk research, mapping, and practitioner feedback that the problem is not merely whether medication may be administered; it is also whether treatment is properly coordinated before release, whether a pharmacy is prepared to welcome the patient, and whether the patient can realistically negotiate the procedure during a demanding period. This helped us develop a service idea to improve continuity of care between selected community pharmacies and prison healthcare.
The project brief provided a research and design context for prison release in Northern Ireland and highlighted the need to design for real people within a complex system of prisons, healthcare, probation, housing, banking, and community support. It emphasized that students should investigate numbers and scale, policy and evidence, service examples, system challenges, and user perspectives in order to identify meaningful design opportunities. The brief also noted that the transition from prison to community often involves fragmented services, information gaps, poor coordination, and timing issues, particularly around release.
The brief, therefore, encouraged us to think beyond a single interface or product and instead examine the wider service journey, including how information moves, where breakdowns happen, and how touchpoints can be improved. This was especially relevant to our project, as the challenge of OST continuation depends on how prison healthcare, pharmacies, addiction services, and the person leaving custody connect with one another.
Our project's goal was to create a service-led intervention that improves continuity of care for prisoners on Opioid Substitution Therapy(OST), particularly those discharged on Fridays or under unplanned situations. Our study found that during transition, one of the most important and main problems is not just the access to medication, but also the lack of cooperation about how that therapy should continue once a person leaves custody. At a sensitive time, this generates a dangerous gap in care and the high risk of relapse.
This project's primary goal was to investigate the present prison-to-community reintegration process in Northern Ireland and pinpoint where OST patients experience failure. From this, we hoped to find out how service design might reduce interruption in treatment, uncertainty, and the need for the person to handle everything themselves. We also sought to create a realistic, user-centered service concept that would improve communication between prison healthcare and community pharmacies, facilitate safe, supervised dosing, and ensure that the individual leaving prison has a clearer, more trustworthy pathway into continuous care.
This goal aligns with the broader aims of the project brief, which emphasize continuity, dignity, accessibility, and cross-service coordination during release. Rather than trying to rethink the whole prison release system, this initiative concentrated on one pressing and high-impact field where a well-planned intervention may lower the chances of withdrawal, relapse, overdose, and quitting recovery treatments.
The design context for this project is shaped by the complexities of transitioning from prison to society in Northern Ireland, especially for individuals requiring Opioid Substitution Treatment (OST). Upon release, individuals often face immediate needs for housing, healthcare, and support, which can complicate the release process. For those on OST, continuity of care is vital, especially in the first hours and days post-release when they are most vulnerable.
Our research found that the primary issue isn't whether medication can be prescribed, but whether the departments involved are prepared. Without a structured support system, the risk of withdrawal, relapse, and overdose increases significantly, particularly during unplanned releases, such as those on Fridays, when access to GPs and community services is limited.
1.1 Prison Release Challenges