Offender Health
Regional Lead: Carl Finch
The main focus for our Offender Health programme is on supporting positive changes in the well-being of people with health and social care needs in all areas of the Offender Health system.
The Offender Health and Well-being Partnership in the South West builds on the work of the Department of Health (DH), the Home Office (HO) and more recently Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to modernise and mainstream prison health care into the wider NHS and the developments highlighted in the consultation on ’Improving Health, Supporting Justice’. As changes in structures within the MoJ and DH regional presence proceed, we will continue to work in partnership to improve health, address health inequalities and reduce crime by maximising the opportunities provided by better integration of health, social care and Offender Health systems.
Our main aim is to support the delivery and implementation of Improving Health, Supporting Justice.
Our main objectives are to:
- lead efforts to improve access to health services for offenders with mental health, physical health or substance misuse needs through partnership working with local organisations and communities
- support the implementation of National Service Frameworks, the NHS Plan, the Social Exclusion Unit report and other related policy guidance within the context of the Offender Health system
- contribute to the reduction of reoffending across the East Midlands
- improve the quality of commissioning processes for offenders
- enable service developments to be informed by local experience and stakeholder participation
- monitor and review progress in service development, targets and milestones and assist local partnerships to achieve these
- develop the use of the Prison Health Performance Indicators (PHPIs) and support service improvement issues arising from these, and
- support research and development activities, encouraging the East Midlands to lead national practice in key developmental areas.
