Government offender health strategy a step forward but more needed to make it work, says Sainsbury Centre

27 November 2007

The health of offenders must become a major national priority if we are to give some of the most excluded people in Britain a chance of a productive life, the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health said today.

Welcoming the Government's Improving Health, Supporting Justice consultation paper, Sainsbury Centre prisons and criminal justice director Sean Duggan said: "The majority of offenders have a range of mental health problems. They urgently need support for mental health, drug and alcohol problems alongside help to find somewhere safe to live, to get a job and to keep in touch with their families.

"Improving Health, Supporting Justice is a first step on a long road to achieving the kind of support offenders desperately need. It contains important elements of a decent service, such as better care in police custody, diversion from prison for those with the most serious mental health problems and suicide prevention.

"To make a difference, though, the final strategy will need to give much more detail for commissioners. The idea of 'aligned' commissioning between the NHS, local authorities and criminal justice services has potential but it will not work without clear goals, proper guidance and a high priority from government.

"The strategy has two major gaps. First, we need investment in testing new ways of working, using evidence from other countries as well as the UK to find out what works. Second, we need a state-of-the-art information system for offender health. The electronic patient record should be introduced across the criminal justice system yet it is not mentioned in the draft strategy.

"Today's announcement shows the Government takes the health of offenders seriously. We hope the outcome will be a robust strategy that brings services together to meet the needs of offenders and that holds them to account for making a big difference in people's lives."

Improving Health, Supporting Justice: a consultation paper is published today by the Department of Health. It is a draft of the Government's strategy for offender health and social care. The consultation is open from today until 4 March 2008.