Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Deferred
Paragraph: 111
Prisons, local authorities, and health and care providers do not always work together effectively to...
Recommendation
Prisons, local authorities, and health and care providers do not always work together effectively to ensure continuity of older prisoners’ health and social care. This can have a detrimental impact on an individual’s health and their efforts to re-integrate into society. The development of the new RECONNECT service is welcome, but we recommend that the Government implement further measures to promote integration between organisations involved in continuity of prisoners’ health and social care.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government agrees on the need for a national strategy for older offenders to ensure consistent treatment and effective resettlement, stating they have commenced work on this strategy and will update the committee upon its publication.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
111
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
• We welcome NHS England’s commitment to develop their care after custody service, RECONNECT, to engage and support more people after custody. The NHS Long Term Plan, published in 2019, made a commitment to fund the RECONNECT service, which has been agreed at £20 million in year 5 (2023/24) of the roll out of the service delivery. • RECONNECT is a care after custody service for prison leavers with vulnerabilities, who would otherwise struggle to engage with community health services. The RECONNECT service will engage with individuals prior to them leaving the prison in order to establish need, and then support them upon release to engage with community-based health services. • Whilst the relationship between health difficulties and offending behavior is complex, in some areas health related interventions clearly offer the potential to reduce offending and re- offending rates. The RECONNECT service will help to safeguard the health of those leaving secure settings into the community, which will also contribute to a reduction in the health- related drivers of offending.
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