Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 61
Pandemic restrictions severely impacted prisoners' mental health, increasing future service demand.
Conclusion
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 the general population. For example, family contact was restricted, and in circumstances where enhanced digital access was not available, the restriction on family access would potentially have exacerbated the effect on Mental health in prison 29 prisoners’ mental health. We recognise and understand that the restrictions on prisoners during the period of the pandemic will have saved numerous lives, but, we are concerned about the impact of the pandemic on prisoners’ mental health and how well prepared HMPPS and NHS will be for the increase in the need for mental healthcare services as a result.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government stated NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing guidance for Integrated Care Systems to manage the continuity of care pathways for the prison population and will incorporate the interface between prison healthcare and parole into a review of the mental health service specification.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
61
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
The mental health of prisoners remains a priority for this Government as it has done throughout the pandemic. The MoJ, HMPPS, DHSC, NHS England and NHS Improvement are working closely together to ensure that offenders can access the right treatment and care at the right time. HMPPS recognises that the continued provision of healthcare and medication is critical to support prisoners whose mental health might have deteriorated because of the pandemic. Governors have continued to work hard to ensure that prisoners can access healthcare in a timely manner, and where necessary adjust staffing requirements to improve timely access to the full range of commissioned health services. HMPPS is looking at how to further promote positive wellbeing in prisons to strengthen support for prisoners and reduce the risk of individuals reaching crisis point and harming themselves or others. To this end we have increased staffing levels by 4,088 FTE officers between October 2016 and June 2021 to enable the roll out of the Offender Management in Custody Key Worker scheme, which provides one-to-one support to every prisoner across the closed adult male estate. HMPPS is supporting establishments to deliver this service in a safe and flexible way, once regimes can safely be eased. In addition, HMPPS continues to fund the Samaritans’ excellent Listeners scheme by awarding a grant of £500k each year, through which selected prisoners are trained to provide emotional support to their fellow prisoners. To provide support to prisoners and staff when it is most needed, we have committed to expanding on this service and funding it over the next two years. This includes offering extra training for listeners, guidance for Governors and safety teams, information materials for staff and prisoners, and the deployment of a Samaritans adviser in the event of a self-inflicted death. Family contact is known to be an important factor in supporting wellbeing, and the accelerated introduction of secure family video calling (Purple Visits) and in-cell telephony in the wake of Covid-19 restrictions has demonstrated the value these services can have in maintaining family engagement. Through the Prisons Strategy White Paper, the MoJ and HMPPS have committed to continue offering these services over the next 12 months, as well as considering lessons learnt from the pandemic and Lord Farmer’s review for maintaining family ties.11 The prison regime – how prisoners spend their time in prison, and how prisons organise the daily routine – is fundamental in supporting prisoners to manage their mental health. Time during the daily routine should be well-spent and shaped to enable prisoners to improve their mental health. We will continue to closely monitor the restrictions in prisons to control the spread of Covid-19, carefully balancing the need to save lives and promote positive wellbeing. As part of this, HMPPS will recommence a programme of future regime design that will support, guide and steer prisons to build back better regimes on the basis of learning and evidence.
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