Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 18
18
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.
Paragraph Reference:
111
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
• We agree that now is the time to produce a national strategy for older offenders, to ensure the prison system is best-placed to meet the needs of these offenders, and that they are treated consistently across the estate. We have commenced work on producing this, and our strategic priorities are that it will ensure older offenders: Ȥ Are held in the most appropriate environments; Ȥ Can access a purposeful regime within prison; Ȥ Can access health and care services equivalent to those within the community; and Ȥ Are prepared for their release and resettled effectively. • We have established a steering group to oversee progress on the strategy, which includes representation from many of the organisations which provided evidence for the Committee’s report, and are carrying out fieldwork for the strategy currently. We will write again to the Committee once the strategy is published to update on the action we are taking.