Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Deferred
Paragraph: 54
Accelerate work to understand and resolve racial disparity in identifying prisoner mental health
Conclusion
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.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response addresses delays in transferring prisoners with severe mental health needs to hospitals, stating revised NHS England and NHS Improvement Guidance was published in June 2021. It commits to a new statutory 28-day time limit for transfers once the guidance is embedded, with progress to be monitored monthly. It does not address the recommendation regarding racial disparity in identifying mental health issues in prison.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
54
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
Tackling racial disparity is crucial to delivering a fair and equitable service. The National Mental Health Needs Analysis, commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement and conducted by the Centre for Mental Health, includes ethnicity, and will provide a clearer indication of representation and any racial disparity in access to mental health services. Further work will be commissioned to build upon data from the needs analysis, including working with organisations representing ethnic minority groups, to inform the service specification review and to reduce health inequalities. 10 Overview | Physical health of people in prison | Guidance | NICE
Read the full response on Parliament ↗