Mentally unwell prisoner support
Absence of clear support mechanisms for mentally unwell prisoners remitted to prison from secure hospitals.
222 items
9 sources
1 inquiry
Strongest theme matches
Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.
Committee recommendation
100match
#4 - Establish clear support for mentally unwell prisoners remitted to prison from secure hospitals
Additionally, there are a small number of mentally unwell prisoners who are subsequently transferred to a secure mental hospital. For these prisoners, the process for post-tariff release is more complex, and we are not clear what support is offered to those who, after a period of treatment, are no longer deemed detainable under the Mental Health Act 1983,...
Matched on
terms: mentally, prisoner, support, unwell
IMB recommendation
85match
Nottingham (2024)
Again, the Board raises its continuing concern about prisoners who are seriously mentally unwell being held in prison and frequently having to be detained in the Care and Separation Unit. Prison is not the appropriate environment for prisoners who are severely mentally unwell. We again ask for greater provision to be made available for such prisoners so they...
Matched on
terms: mentally, prisoner, unwell
IMB recommendation
85match
Styal (2025)
Too many vulnerable and very mentally unwell prisoners have been sent to prison due to a lack of suitable services in the community. What progress has been made to increase the number of secure mental health placements in the region and improve timely access?
Matched on
terms: mentally, prisoner, unwell
IMB recommendation
81match
High Down (2024)
The Government should improve outcomes for mentally unwell prisoners in detention, addressing the issue of them being held in the CSRU for long periods despite failing the medical algorithm.
Matched on
terms: mentally, prisoner, unwell
IMB recommendation
81match
Coldingley (2024)
Does the Prison Service agree that segregated conditions are not appropriate for prisoners who are mentally unwell? What steps are being taken to address this?
Matched on
terms: mentally, prisoner, unwell
IMB recommendation
77match
Lewes (2023)
Will the Minister speak to colleagues to seek to ensure that there are sufficient beds in secure mental health hospitals to speed up the transfer of prisoners and support their rehabilitation?
Matched on
terms: prisoner, support
IMB recommendation
77match
Doncaster (2024)
The Board remains extremely concerned about the length of time it takes for a mentally ill patients to be transferred to a secure hospital. All too often, prison managers have few options open to them during this ‘waiting’ period and prisoners are invariably held in the CSU, resulting in a further deterioration of their mental health. When and...
Matched on
terms: mentally, prisoner
IMB recommendation
77match
Fosse Way (2025)
The issue of severe mental health and the actions necessary to resolve, continue to be ignored. Too many prisoners should be in secure mental health hospitals/establishments and not remain in the general prison population. How will the prison service ensure prisoners with complex mental health challenges receive the support they need in appropriate facilities?
Matched on
terms: prisoner, support
IMB recommendation
77match
Coldingley (2025)
The Prison Service should take action to get mentally unwell men out of unsuitable accommodation and into secure hospitals far more quickly.
Matched on
terms: mentally, unwell
IMB annual report
75match
Berwyn (2025)
HMP Berwyn, a Category C training prison with an operational capacity of 2000, also accommodates B category and remand prisoners. While the Board noted improvements in staff training, purposeful activity, and resettlement outcomes, the prison continues to face significant challenges. These include high levels of self-harm, violence, and drug use, as well as critical issues with mental health...
Matched on
terms: mentally, prisoner, unwell
PFD report
73match
James Spencer
Inadequate training for induction support officers regarding drug-related collapse and the heightened risks for recently released prisoners due to decreased drug tolerance.
Matched on
terms: prisoner, support
PFD report
73match
William Bissett
Severe systemic failures in release planning for a vulnerable, elderly prisoner, including delayed engagement, inadequate accommodation arrangements, and insufficient emotional support, resulted in a tragic outcome.
Matched on
terms: prisoner, support
PFD report
73match
Lewis Petryszyn
Policies lack specified timeframes for intervention and support for prisoners at risk of substance misuse, leading to delayed care and intervention from the Dyfodol service.
Matched on
terms: prisoner, support
PFD report
73match
Samuel Stewart
No action was taken by prison or healthcare after a prisoner tested positive for non-prescribed drugs on a "drug free" wing, missing an opportunity for support and policy enforcement.
Matched on
terms: prisoner, support
IMB recommendation
73match
Dovegate (2023)
The number of secure mental health spaces available is not adequate for the number of seriously mentally ill prisoners. Funding for more spaces is desperately required.
Matched on
terms: mentally, prisoner
IMB recommendation
73match
Stocken (2024)
It takes too long to transfer mentally ill prisoners to secure mental health facilities. This often means that they have to be held in the Care and Separation Unit (CSU) for their own safety for extended periods of time. What is the Minister doing in conjunction with the Department of Health to address the shortfall in secure mental...
Matched on
terms: mentally, prisoner
IMB recommendation
73match
Dovegate (2024)
The number of secure mental health spaces available is not adequate for the number of seriously mentally ill prisoners. The length of time prisoners wait for a space in these units and the number of people they assault in this time is significant. When and how will the Minister address this urgent issue?
Matched on
terms: mentally, prisoner
PFD report
69match
Thomas Nicol
Significant delays in transferring prisoners experiencing acute mental health crises to appropriate secure hospitals potentially endanger lives.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
IMB recommendation
69match
Wandsworth (2020)
The Board was very concerned that the 12-bed Addison unit remained unfit for purpose, with insufficient beds and cells frequently awaiting repair. The waiting time for a bed in the unit was up to seven days. What is being done to improve capacity for mentally ill prisoners?
Matched on
terms: mentally, prisoner
IMB recommendation
69match
Aylesbury (2021)
Reduce the number of the seriously mentally ill being sentenced to incarceration; at the same time, ensure that a greater number of emergency mental health beds are available for prisoners in extreme need.
Matched on
terms: mentally, prisoner
IMB recommendation
69match
Onley (2025)
The increase in prisoners with severe mental health issues puts considerable strain on the staff. The Prison Service should provide additional support for such prisoners or find alternative, more suitable accommodation for them.
Matched on
terms: prisoner, support
IMB recommendation
69match
Dovegate (2025)
The demand for specialised provision for prisoners with mental health and/or personality disorders needs remains higher than the provision available. Will the Prison Service create a structured plan to increase both spaces and staff to support them, with clinical staff as well as administrative?
Matched on
terms: prisoner, support
PFD report
65match
Emily Hartley
Prison was not the appropriate environment for someone with the deceased's mental health problems, and there is a need for secure, therapeutic environments for prisoners with similar mental health needs.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
65match
Liridon Saliuka
There was a lack of clear, accessible documentation detailing a prisoner's disability adjustments and a general lack of disability awareness among prison staff, leading to inappropriate assumptions about his capabilities.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
65match
Jacob Billington
Release of high-risk prisoners is jeopardised by inadequate interagency communication, fragmented information systems, and a lack of clear guidance and understanding for discharge planning roles.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
IMB recommendation
65match
Leicester (2020)
Although the numbers are small, and the Gatekeeping process has improved, the Board has still had to report that two prisoners were held for a long time in inhumane conditions with deteriorating mental health while waiting for secure hospital accommodation (see section 6.2.1). In his reply to the Board’s previous report, the minister stated that ‘NHS England and...
Matched on
terms: prisoner
IMB recommendation
65match
Lindholme (2025)
The Board asks that, in regard to those prisoners who have undertaken a gatekeeping assessment, the Director-General considers providing prison management with further resources, such that they will have increased options when assessing where to locate a prisoner whilst waiting for a bed in a secure hospital.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
Committee recommendation
64match
#2 - Fifty-Second Report - Key challenges facing the Ministry of Justice
The pandemic has significantly impacted the wellbeing and life chances of prisoners, making it critical that the Ministry and HMPPS accelerate their work to improve the mental health of prisoners. The need for restrictive regimes to maintain social distancing in prisons during the pandemic has exacerbated the existing mental health challenges that prisoners face. In 2019–20, the incidents...
Matched on
terms: prisoner, support
IMB annual report
64match
Rye Hill (2020)
HMP Rye Hill, a Category B training prison for men convicted of sexual offences, operated at or near its maximum capacity of 664 during the reporting year. The IMB found the prison to be a generally safe and fair environment, with improvements in healthcare provision and staff stability. However, significant concerns persist regarding the inadequate provision for elderly...
Matched on
terms: prisoner, support
IMB annual report
64match
Belmarsh (2024)
HMP Belmarsh, a Category A local prison, faces significant challenges in providing purposeful activity and rehabilitation opportunities, particularly for HSU and sentenced prisoners, amid rising illicit item seizures and high violence levels. While healthcare provision has improved under a new provider, mental health support, transfers, and bed shortages remain problematic. The Board is concerned about overcrowding, prolonged segregation...
Matched on
terms: prisoner, support
IMB recommendation
64match
Manchester (2020)
What assurances can be offered to ensure that prisoners suffering from these symptoms can be swiftly placed in specialist accommodation to best support their needs?
Matched on
terms: prisoner, support
PFD report
61match
Yohannes Kidane
Insufficient night staffing on prison healthcare wards compromised effective ACCT observations and overall prisoner care. Additionally, staff were not taking breaks, impacting their wellbeing and the quality of care provided.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
61match
Bradley Brown
Late prisoner transfers, particularly on weekends, are unsafe due to unavailable mental health assessments and limited access to healthcare records, heightening risk for vulnerable individuals.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
61match
Tomasz Nowasad
There was an over-reliance on prisoners' self-declarations regarding self-harm risk, and insufficient consideration of all risk factors or the "big picture" during ACCT reviews and discharge. Risk assessment rationales were also not consistently documented.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
61match
James Devenny
Prisoners lack direct access to Samaritans, relying on staff, which is especially difficult for those with violence risks. Prison officers are not routinely briefed on prisoners' significant self-harm history.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
61match
Scott Rider
The indefinite nature of IPP sentences traps prisoners, leading to feelings of hopelessness and challenging behaviours, raising concerns about inhumane treatment and future deaths if not reviewed.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
61match
Marlin Burrows
The prison's welfare sheet was inadequate for monitoring prisoner health, lacking clarity and guidance. Entries were not shared with medical staff, and there was no joint prison/healthcare oversight.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
61match
Barrie Forster
A severe shortage of suitable accommodation for released prisoners, including Approved Premises and local authority housing, leads to homelessness or unsuitable placements, increasing supervision difficulties.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
61match
Wayne Bayley
National replication of healthcare improvements, especially understanding sickle cell crisis risks and prisoner care, has not occurred across all UK prisons, posing a risk that lessons learned are not widely applied.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
61match
Marta Vento
No formal process exists for prisons to share critical in-prison behavioural and mental health information with sentencing courts. Additionally, national guidance is lacking for ensuring continuity of care for released prisoners with mental health needs.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
61match
Aaron Taylor
Prison staff failed to open an ACCT process after a self-harm incident and lacked ACCT training. Keyworker sessions for vulnerable prisoners were not consistently conducted, with staff unaware of required frequency.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
61match
Matthew Singh Prevention of future deaths report
High availability and use of illicit psychoactive substances persist at HMP Berwyn, posing significant risks to prisoner health and contributing to future deaths.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
61match
Scott Berry
Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoners face profound hopelessness and mental health suffering due to indefinite detention and lack of access to parole reviews or rehabilitative programs, increasing suicide risk.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
61match
Paul Thompson
HMP Norwich had inadequate arrangements for releasing prisoners needing mental health care, leading to failures in ensuring follow-up and timely information sharing with Probation Services.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
61match
Gareth Chumber-Kelly
Inefficient prison reception processes lead to lost critical prisoner information, and suicide/self-harm training for staff was suspended despite high rates of suicidal ideation and ligature deaths.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
PFD report
61match
Edward Hands
Confusion and differing policies between prison and healthcare staff regarding prisoners under the influence led to inadequate observation, failed recognition of clinical deterioration, and delayed medical assessment.
Matched on
terms: prisoner
IMB recommendation
61match
Norwich (2020)
What are the minister’s plan for those prisoners with complex needs, including severe mental health issues? Despite the various strategies introduced following the Bradley Report, there are increasing numbers of prisoners with complex needs but severe limitations to the appropriate help and resources available. The minister is quoted as saying: ‘It is really important that we are clear...
Matched on
terms: prisoner
IMB recommendation
61match
Wakefield (2024)
Can the Minister explain how the Government intends to address longstanding and yet unresolved problems with the assessment and transfer of prisoners who present with serious mental health and personality disorders from HMP Wakefield to hospital (section 47, Mental Health Act 1983)?
Matched on
terms: prisoner
IMB recommendation
61match
Foston Hall (2024)
Prisoners with complex and severe mental health needs are frequently received, or remain too long, at HMP Foston Hall, rather than being accommodated and cared for in hospital or in the community in line with the ambitions of the female offender strategy. When will this be addressed?
Matched on
terms: prisoner
IMB recommendation
61match
Drake Hall (2024)
The use of segregation to manage prisoners experiencing a mental health crisis is an increasingly disturbing and unacceptable situation. The lack of available secure beds cannot continue to be used as an excuse for a systemic problem in the prison system. The criminal justice system, in its entirety, must urgently address this complex problem. Some of these women...
Matched on
terms: prisoner