Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Paragraph: 90
Peer support or ‘buddy’ schemes can be an effective way to help meet the care...
Conclusion
Peer support or ‘buddy’ schemes can be an effective way to help meet the care needs of older prisoners. We commend the good work done by some prisons in partnership with third sector organisations to develop such initiatives. Prisons must ensure that prisoners providing care to other inmates are suitably trained and have appropriate oversight.
Paragraph Reference:
90
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
End-of-life and palliative care • HMPPS work with NHS England to identity men and women in our care who are at or near the end of their life, to ensure that services are in place prior to need and that, where possible, conversations have taken place to respect their wishes and those of their family when they are dying. This allows HMPPS, NHSE and local authorities to have relevant resources and support services including Hospice support for the patient. We continue to work with health providers and partners to ensure we have the right skill mix and staff to support a patient. Early Release on Compassionate Grounds • The Secretary of State may release a prisoner on licence at any point in the sentence if he is satisfied that this is justified by “exceptional circumstances”. Early Release on Compassionate Grounds (ERCG) allows prisoners to be permanently released on licence early, but only in the most exceptional cases. As such, the bar for ERCG is set high to ensure it balances an individual prisoner’s circumstances with the requirement that the release will not put the safety of the public at risk and that it will serve a specific purpose, such as providing for the care of that prisoner that could not otherwise be provided in prison. • The Government is committed to ensuring that the process for handling applications for ERCG is as quick and effective as possible, so as to ensure timely decisions are made, and will consider stakeholder feedback in any future reissue of the policy documents. The release and resettlement of older prisoners