Hsccj Executive Summary

Health and Social Care in Criminal Justice Programme “Improving the Health of Offenders Supporting Crime Reduction, Building Safer Communities” EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Health and Social Care in Criminal Justice (HSCCJ) initiative is intended to widen health involvement with the offender management system. It seeks to ensure that as partners, health and social care services play their roles effectively at all stages of the offender pathway. This includes working with police, court services, communities, prisons and probation services, service users, nonstatutory organisations and other relevant agencies. The HSCCJ programme builds on the work already achieved by the Department of Health and the Home Office to modernise and mainstream prison health care into the wider NHS. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the Care Services Directorate of the Department of Health are working in partnership to, “Improve health, address health inequalities and reduce crime by maximising the opportunities provided by better integration of health, social care and criminal justice systems”. This national policy initiative and major work programme within the Department of Health aims at widening health and social care services at a local level in their involvement in offender management, supporting the policy to reduce re-offending and promote safer communities.

Key Objectives The key objectives of the Health and Social Care in Criminal Justice Programme are to: Help to improve the quality of life for people of all ages who experience mental or physical distress or learning disability across the criminal justice system, by developing partnership working with local organisations and communities. To work with health, social care and criminal justice agencies to develop an integrated, comprehensive, and sustainable Health Services both within in prisons and community offender care services within the East Midlands working across non-traditional boundaries and monitor progress in service development, targets and milestones, whilst ensuring that policy development is informed To promote and improve the physical, mental health and social wellbeing offenders by reducing social exclusion in order to help reduce re- offending which promotes safe communities. To support PCTs, NHS Mental Health Trusts, DAATs responsible for commissioning and providing primary care, substance misuse services and mental healthcare services for prisoners. To improve access to health services for offenders with mental, physical or a Learning disability To support the implementation of the NSF’s, the NHS Plan, the Social Exclusion Unit report and other related policy guidance within the context of the criminal justice system.

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Strategic Plan The role of the team is to support local organisations to achieve the objectives within the Health and Social Care in Criminal Justice Programme and meet national policy expectations. A Regional Programme Board that brings stakeholders together has been formed to take this forward. It has a dual reporting reflecting a coming together at regional level of this programme and the health and substance misuse components of the National Offender Management Services Regional Reducing Re-offending Strategy The plan is divided into a number of key areas. To promote a regional and local network to assist PCTs and social care partner organisations to develop an integrated approach with statutory and non statutory agencies to develop joint approaches and services to meet the local Health and Social care needs of offenders within the Criminal Justice system. Work areas Mental Health Prison and community services. Work to date has focused on offenders in custody. As the programme progresses emphasis will also be placed on access to community services for offenders ensuring continuity of care between custodial and community settings.

Vulnerable Groups and those from BME backgrounds. A number of groups of offenders are identified as vulnerable within the system. In addition 25% of all prisoners are from BME communities and for many their needs are not effectively met or account taken of their culture and beliefs. The programme aims to help address this issue. Cross Cutting programmes, Children and Families. The priority is to improve the life chances of children, particularly those in care or who are socially disadvantaged, linking to the key themes of the Outcomes Framework for Every Child Matters. • Be healthy • Enjoy and achieve • Stay safe • Make a positive contribution • Achieve economic well-being Diversion and Liaison Schemes. Best practice will be identified to enable health to be an effective partner to Offender Management and a credible option for sentences to ensure appropriate treatment for individual offenders. Workforce. As services modernise and change, to be increasingly effective workforce issues and training and development needs must be addressed to ensure the skills, competencies and capacity to deliver these changing services. Identified Resources Available

Primary Care. Much effort has already been put into this area within custody. Primary Care Trusts will need to work more closely with partners to ensure offenders continuity of care and access to primary care once they return to community settings. Public Health. Key targets areas are management of long term conditions, sexual health, communicable diseases, and substance misuse. The wider agenda of Choosing Health needs to be made relevant to the criminal justice system.

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The HSCCJ Team

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To support this initiative funding has been made available from the Department of health to support this programme; the team objectives and structure is explained The HSCCJ team’s objectives are broadly • • • • • •

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Support the EM HSCCJ Group and local offender healthcare and Prison Broad groups Lead the EM HSCCJ programme Support the development of Performance indicators for use by PCT/Prison partnerships To give input, as required, into the health-related aspects of estates provision (e.g. new build) Maintaining an effective network of health care managers, clinical staff, PCT leads and links to outside agencies Facilitating good practice eg pathways, health promoting prisons, SUI procedures and death in custody investigations Advise and support HMPS Area Office and SHA, on prison health related to national and local performance standards Advising the central team on priorities within the Region Support health, social care and criminal justice agencies to work together to produce effective joint working practices that improve better health outcomes for offenders

The team consists of the following The HSSCJ Programme Lead The main tasks of this role will be: •

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To support the implementation of the local offender healthcare groups by supporting health and social care organisations in developing local strategies and agreements in improving closer working practices and relationships in the treatment of individuals who are in contact with the criminal justice system To support the development of the Integrated Drug Treatment System within Prisons Lead and support the continual development of all healthcare services in Prisons and for community offenders

The Prison Primary Health Lead This role has a key responsibility in supporting PCTs and Prison services colleagues in the delivery of healthcare within custodial settings. To support PCTs to deliver on the improvement of service provision offered to offenders is of the same standard as expected to find in community. To support the and monitor the implantation of the Prison Health Performance Indicators. The Prison Mental health development manager The main role is to assist in mainstreaming all aspects of Prison Mental Health into the general modernisation of mental health services across the east midlands. To develop training strategies for staff working within Prisons the Police service and wider criminal justice service The current prevalence of prisoners who have mental health problems is very clear and the level of self-harm and suicide attempts is well is well documented.

To support the implementation of HSCCJ strategy and to act as lead manager on all aspects of it

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The Health and Social care in criminal justice Community development worker To support the programme lead to improve the service provision of promotion of access by offender and ex offenders within the East Midlands Region. To develop a regional action plan to realise the recommendation of the forthcoming pubilication of Lords Bradley’s review on the diversion of mentally people away from the CJS. To provide support in the co-ordination and delivery of the East Midlands HSCCJ Work Programme. Working with the Social Inclusion CSIP project Action Plan An Action plan has been produced in the main document. Further information Further copies of the full Strategic Plan can be gained from the East Midlands Development Centre: Carl Finch Health & Social Care in Criminal Justice Programme Lead Pleasley Vale Business Park Mill 3 Outgang Lane Pleasley Mansfield Notts, NG19 8RL

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