Mental Health in Prison
Justice Committee
Closed
Inquiry
This inquiry seeks to understand the current scale of mental health need in prisons, and to identify what support exists and whether there are any gaps in provision. Read the terms of reference to find out more about the inquiry .
12
Recommendations
21
Conclusions
1
Report
2
Oral sessions
2
Events
Activity timeline 4 events
4 Feb
2022
2022
29 Sep
2021
2021
Report published
22 Jun
2021
2021
Oral evidence
8 Jun
2021
2021
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions
22 Jun 2021
View on parliament.uk
Alex Chalk · Ministry of Justice
Juliet Lyon CBE · Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody
Kate Davies CBE · NHS England
Martin Jones · Department for Transport
Phil Copple · HMPPS
8 Jun 2021
View on parliament.uk
Dr Jake Hard · Royal College of General Practitioners
Dr Josanne Holloway · Royal College of Psychiatrists
Dr Russell Green · Practice Plus Group
Dr Sarah Allen · Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Sarah Hewitt · Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Simon Newman RN · Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th Report - Mental health in prison | HC 72 | 29 Sep 2021 | 33 | Response document linked |
Recommendations & Conclusions
33 results
1
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Unmet need for mental illness treatment in prisons remains surprisingly high
While there have been improvements in prison mental healthcare, provision is still not adequate. The high unmet need for treatment for mental illness in prisons is surprising and disappointing. Around 10% of prisoners were recorded as receiving treatment for mental …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
2
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Quantify mental health service shortfalls and ensure equivalent prison healthcare provision
The NHS should use its prison mental health treatment ‘needs analysis’ to quantify shortfalls in mental health services, make plans and allocate resources so mental healthcare in prisons is at least equivalent to services outside prisons, having taken account of …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
3
Recommendation
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Set out plans to bridge fragmented healthcare service gaps for prisoners
Healthcare services can be fragmented, meaning people receive no or inadequate care. NHS England and NHS Improvement should set out how they intend to bridge existing gaps in care and resolve the problems that result from fragmented service provision to …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
4
Recommendation
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Set out how to balance cost and quality criteria when procuring services
Cost and quality are essential criteria on which to assess bid submissions in procurement processes. All commissioned services need to be cost effective and provide value for money, but cost should not be prioritised at the expense of quality. NHS …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
5
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Specific integrated healthcare initiatives show welcome, but limited, progress in prisons
Initiatives such as integrated healthcare, the trauma-informed approach in the women’s estate, SECURESTAIRS in the youth estate, and the intensive programmes used on the Offender Personality Disorder pathway, are all welcome as far as they go. The comparatively few such …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
6
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Integrated healthcare for prisoners requires expansion to ensure timely access to services
The NHS should expand on its work to commission integrated healthcare across all three estates so that prisoners can access proper physical and mental healthcare services at primary and secondary level as appropriate and without undue delay.
Ministry of Justice
View details
7
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
HMPPS needs plans to reinvigorate measures controlling substance abuse and violence
As the covid-19 restrictions in prisons are released, HMPPS (including the Youth Custody Service), should have plans ready for how it will reinvigorate its measures to control unwelcome and unintended issues such as substance abuse and violence in prisons. (Paragraph …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
8
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Unavailability of community orders leads to unnecessary imprisonment for mental health needs
Too many offenders are imprisoned because community orders with mental health treatment requirements are unavailable in many areas. The Government’s target that community orders with mental health treatment requirements should be available across 50% of England and Wales by 2023 …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
9
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Accelerate plans to increase Community Sentence Treatment Order availability nationwide by March 2023
The MoJ and the NHS should accelerate plans to increase the availability of Community Sentence Treatment Requirement orders, so these orders are available options for sentencers in all parts of England and Wales by 31 March 2023.
Ministry of Justice
View details
10
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Racial disparity exists in identifying mental health conditions during prisoner health screenings
It is unacceptable that one in 12 prisoners do not have a health screening appointment within 24 hours of arrival and that Black, Asian, and other Minority Ethnic prisoners who have a mental health condition are less likely to have …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
11
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Identify reasons for delayed prisoner health screenings and implement remedial action plans
The NHS should identify why some establishments have difficulties screening prisoners within 24 hours of arrival and should put in place action plans with the healthcare providers at those establishments to remedy this.
Ministry of Justice
View details
12
Recommendation
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Review mental health services specification for competent professional screening of prisoners
The NHS should review its mental health services specification so that mental health screening is always carried out by a competent mental health professional with experience of the criminal justice system.
Ministry of Justice
View details
13
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Accelerate work to understand and resolve racial disparity in identifying prisoner mental health
The NHS should accelerate its work to understand why there is a racial disparity in identifying mental health issues in prison and implement a solution.
Ministry of Justice
View details
14
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Prison staff play vital role in identifying and signposting prisoners to mental healthcare
Prison officers and other operational staff play a vital role in identifying and supporting prisoners who need mental healthcare and signposting prisoners to this treatment. Having the time to talk to and listen to prisoners is a key part of …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
15
Recommendation
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Develop and establish regular refresher training for staff on identifying prisoner mental illness
HMPPS should (with the Royal Colleges and other experts in the field of prison mental healthcare) develop training for prison officers and other operational staff on how to identify mental illness and how to support and signpost prisoners to treatment. …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
16
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Prison staff experienced significant pressure and uncertainty during the pandemic.
We recognise that prison staff have been under extra pressure during the pandemic and may face uncertainty as the prison restrictions are eased. We would like to express our appreciation again of all those who work in prisons.
Ministry of Justice
View details
17
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Pandemic restrictions severely impacted prisoners' mental health, increasing future service demand.
Prisoners have shared the anxieties of the general population about possibly becoming ill themselves with covid-19 or their loved ones becoming ill. This has been combined with the most severe restrictions on their daily lives, going beyond those experienced by …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
18
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Increase urgent provision of mental healthcare services for prisoners affected by the pandemic.
The Ministry of Justice, HMPPS and NHS England should take urgent steps to increase provision of mental healthcare services over the coming 12 months so that prisoners whose mental health has deteriorated because of the pandemic can be treated.
Ministry of Justice
View details
19
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Increase mental well-being support for prison staff, building on existing services.
HMPPS should build on its existing management guidance and occupational health services to increase its support for the mental well-being of those who work in prisons.
Ministry of Justice
View details
20
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Severe shortage of mental health inpatient beds leads to inhumane treatment for prisoners.
It is inappropriate that severely mentally ill prisoners are kept in prison, sometimes in segregation. Despite the best efforts of prison staff this can result in periods of inhumane treatment. We welcome the proposal to introduce statutory time limits for …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
21
Recommendation
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Increase immediate availability of mental health inpatient beds for prisoners facing transfer difficulties.
The Ministry of Justice should work with the Department for Health and Social Care and the NHS to increase immediately the availability of mental health inpatient beds for prisoners from those prisons that have the most difficulty transferring prisoners within …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
22
Recommendation
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Publish monthly data on prisoners awaiting mental health inpatient transfers, including waiting times.
HMPPS and the NHS should gather and publish monthly information for every establishment (without naming establishments to protect patient confidentiality) on the number of prisoners awaiting transfers to inpatient care for mental illness and for how long they have been …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
23
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Interoperable medical information systems are vital for appropriate care between prison and community.
Making medical information systems interoperable between prisons and the community is challenging but vital if appropriate care (including the correct medication) is to be provided from arrival in prison through to release. Progress has been made during covid-19 and this …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
24
Recommendation
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Introduce urgent arrangements for swift availability of prisoners' medical records between prisons and community.
As a matter of urgency, the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Health and Social care, HMPPS and NHS England should introduce arrangements so that all prisoners’ medical records are swiftly available between prisons and between the community and prison …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
25
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Undiagnosed mental illness and poor community support cause parole decision delays for prisoners.
Some parole decisions are delayed because prisoners applying for parole have undiagnosed mental illness that limit their participation in the parole application process. There are further delays due to insufficient co-operation from community mental health teams in arranging packages of …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
26
Recommendation
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Systematic mental health assessment lacking for parole-eligible prisoners before application.
Prison healthcare providers should systematically assess the mental health of prisoners 30 Mental health in prison coming up for parole and make sure that any needing support and treatment have it in good time before they make an application.
Ministry of Justice
View details
27
Recommendation
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Persistent challenges arranging mental health treatment packages for parole-eligible prisoners identified.
NHS England should liaise with the Parole Board to identify local areas where there are problems arranging mental health treatment packages for prisoners under consideration for parole. NHS England should then work with the new NHS Integrated Care Systems and …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
28
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
NHS RECONNECT programme remains in infancy, failing to ensure continuity of care.
Despite longstanding difficulties arranging continuity of healthcare for prisoners on their release, the NHS RECONNECT programme, which is meant to resolve these problems, is in its infancy. In the meantime, prisoners who have been receiving treatment in prison for mental …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
29
Recommendation
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Learning from RECONNECT pathfinders and partnership pilots needs swift acceleration and publication.
The NHS should learn early lessons swiftly from its RECONNECT pathfinder projects and accelerate roll-out of the most important features across all prisons in the interim between now and 2024 when it intends to have completed the full roll-out. Similarly, …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
30
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Welcome proposal to end prison as ‘place of safety’ requires investment in alternatives.
We welcome the proposal in the Mental Health Act Reform white paper to end the use of prison as a ‘place of safety’ and the recognition that this must be supported by investment in alternatives. Problems with access to emergency …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
31
Recommendation
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Establish viable alternatives to eliminate prison as a place of safety by March 2022.
The Government must, as a matter of urgency, see through its proposal to establish viable alternatives so that prisons are no longer used as a place of safety under the Mental Health Act 1983. We recommend that the Department of …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
32
Conclusion
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Remanding individuals for protection under Bail Act 1976 is wrong in principle.
The Courts use the provisions in the Bail Act 1976 to remand people to prison for their own protection or welfare only because proper alternatives in the community are not available. We are concerned about the lack of safeguards under …
Read more
Ministry of Justice
View details
33
Recommendation
5th Report - Mental health in pris…
Amend Bail Act 1976 by March 2022 to end remands for protection or welfare.
The Government should bring forward legislation by 31 March 2022 to amend the Bail Act 1976 so that it is unlawful to remand anyone to custody simply for their own protection or welfare. (Paragraph 104) 32 Mental health in prison
Ministry of Justice
View details