Prisons and special hospitals

This section is about care of people who have diabetes and are in prisons and special hospitals:

Introduction

The prison population is increasing. According to statistics published in December 2010, in Scotland the figure is 7,680, in Northern Ireland 1,526, and in England and Wales the figure has reached an all time high of more than 85,393 (Prison Reform Trust 2010). Older people - people aged 60 and older - constitute the fastest growing age group in prisons and “some older prisoners will have a physical health status of 10 years older than their contemporaries on the outside” (Prison Reform Trust 2011, p.39). According to June 2009 statistics, fewer than 27 per cent of the prison population is from a minority ethnic group and more than one in 10 older prisoners belong to a minority ethnic group. In terms of mental health, 72 per cent of male and 70 per cent of female sentenced prisoners suffer from two or more mental health disorders. For more information about these statistics and other statistical information from the Prison Reform Trust see Bromley Briefings prison factfile December 2010.

The demands on health care in prisons can therefore be considerable. Equally the prison environment can also provide opportunities to address the health needs of a 'hard to reach' sector of society, and for some prisoners an opportunity to access health care which, for a variety of reasons, they have not been able to access previously (Condon et al 2007a). In addition there are opportunities to promote health. (Department of Health 2002b;Scottish Prison Service 2002).

The challenges of the prison environment in meeting needs and providing quality care are well recognised. Since April 2006, as part of a move to improve the quality of care and increase parity of services, primary care trusts in England and Wales have been responsible for the commissioning and provision of health services in prison. In Scotland, the responsibility for health care remains with the Scottish Prison Service.

The key issues section considers some of the challenges to effective care of prisoners with diabetes that have been identified in reports and research, and examples of how these are being met.

References

Full details of the bracketed citations in the text above and, in many cases, links to the actual documents are available in the reference list within this resource. Go to the Reference list.