Inspectors have warned that the care of acutely mentally unwell prisoners is generally becoming worse in England and Wales, following their review two years ago which found ‘unacceptable delays’ in transferring acutely mentally unwell prisoners to secure hospitals, with fewer than 15% of patients transferred within the required 28 days.
In a new blog published by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Inspectors warn of a ‘quiet crises’ in the care of mentally unwell prisoners, with many facing very long delays before their transfer to hospital, increasing their likelihood of cognitive damage, impaired functioning and long-term harm.
Inspectors also raise concerns over a widespread shortage of beds in mental health hospitals and a lack of community-based alternatives to imprisonment, meaning detainees in crisis are sometimes sent to prison ‘for their own safety’.
‘I’ve met prisoners in the grip of florid psychosis, terrified of things only they can see, or so withdrawn they barely speak. Prisoners mutilating themselves in response to voices only they can hear. Prisons are not hospitals, and they’re certainly not equipped to serve as holding bays for people in crisis. The prison staff do their best, but they are not mental health clinicians, and they’re trying to manage risk, behaviour, safety, and human distress all at once. For the prisoner, each day waiting for a hospital bed can be a day of escalating voices, deepening paranoia, or worsening depression. For staff, it can be a constant balancing act of compassion and crisis management.’ Shaun Thomson, Health and Social Care Inspector
Without urgent reform, the cycle of inappropriate custody, harm, and systemic strain will continue.
To read the full blog, click here.