Prison health 'not good enough'

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The NHS took charge of prison healthcare four years agoPrison healthcare is still not good enough - four years after it was revamped to bring it up to NHS standards, a report claims.</p>The joint Care Quality Commission and the Inspectorate of Prisons study said while there were signs of improvement, a number of areas of weakness remained.

In particular, it highlighted the drug treatment as a major concern.

The inspectors carried out reviews of 21 NHS trusts, responsible for more than a quarter of England&#039;s jails.

StandardsAll prisons have some form of medical centre, often with their own pharmacies, nurses and doctors and with access to regional hospitals for patients who require more intensive care.

The standard of prison care has been in the spotlight since the mid 1990s when the then chief inspector of prisons, Sir David Ramsbotham, called for change.

In 2006, primary care trusts, which are in charge of local NHS services, took on responsibility for care from the prison service.

The report acknowledged improvements had been made since then.

Continue reading the main storyPeople in prison are often not registered with a doctor and have a high prevalence of chaotic lifestyles, which can involve - for example - substance misuse and mental health issues

Alex BaylissCare Quality CommissionGovernance arrangements were more robust, investment had driven up overall standards and staff training was better, it said.

However, the regulators had concerns over continuity of care - the arrangements in place for transfers between centres and for release - which was said to be "inadequate and getting worse".

Only one trust had a specific policy in place.

Meanwhile, services for drug misusers were not up to standard with only six of the 21 trusts adhering to best practice in areas such as the prescribing of drugs substitutes and counselling.

There was also a lack of evidence of good dentistry and health promotion practices, the report said.

Alex Baylis, from the CQC, said "significant improvements must be made".

"People in prison are often not registered with a doctor and have a high prevalence of chaotic lifestyles, which can involve - for example - substance misuse and mental health issues," she added.

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