Last week in the House of Lords on Tuesday on 14th January there was a discussion about “Prisons: Health Services” The session was opened by Delyth Morgan who is the Baroness Morgan of Drefelin and a few minutes later it was followed by Rachel Treweek who is The Bishop of Gloucester, who made a very good comment.

Here is the open comments from Delyth and the comment from Rachel.

The Labour Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care, Baroness Merron who is Gillian Merron, responded to all of the members on this item.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the provision of health services in prisons.

Baroness Merron: My Lords, a full health needs assessment for every prisoner is undertaken at least every three years by NHS England, which then updates service specifications and commissions appropriate services to ensure that the health needs of offenders are being met. All 19 health service specifications for prisons and other detention environments are currently being updated to ensure that they remain fit for purpose and are expected to be published by March 2026.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: My Lords, I thank my noble friend for her Answer. I have heard first hand, through the work of the charities the Prison Reform Trust and Revolving Doors, about the challenging and degrading experience that some prisoners have had trying to access healthcare. Does the Minister agree that there is a huge opportunity to make progress here with the development of better facilities in new prisons? Does she also agree that it be would a positive thing to include prison healthcare services in ICBs’ commissioning to ensure that people in secure settings have access to the advances and developments that are available in the community?

Baroness Merron: I certainly agree with my noble friend that there are huge opportunities to improve healthcare for prisoners. On new prison design, I reassure her that all prison design will be fit for purpose because medical architects will be commissioned. That new design includes, for example, medical cells so that as many healthcare needs as possible can be met in prison. On my noble friend’s point about ICBs, it is a retained service, so it is not currently delegated to ICBs. It is the responsibility of health and justice commissioners to collaborate closely with ICBs to ensure continuity of care. The electronic referral service means that patients in prison can have access to the developments to which others in the community have access.

Here are the Bishop of Gloucester’s comments:

The Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, women in prison have very specific health needs. Will the new women’s justice board look at ensuring that health and social care services across the women’s estate are consistently gender-specific and sensitive to women’s protected characteristics?

Baroness Merron: I can give that assurance to the right reverend Prelate, and I certainly agree about the particular needs of women in prisons. It is perhaps helpful to tell your Lordships’ House that new women’s health and well-being hubs will begin in all 12 female prisons from 1 April