NCJ Number
140843
Date Published
1990
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This briefing describes the British prison medical service and delineates current issues in inmate health care being debated.
Abstract
A national prison medical service was introduced in England and Wales in 1878, and this service has continued as a separate autonomous service until the National Health Service was established in 1948. Every penal establishment has its own "hospital," which provides facilities for the treatment of the ambulant sick and for the routine treatment of bed patients who do not require detailed investigation or skilled nursing care. More elaborate facilities are available at the large prisons, to which inmates may be transferred; there are fully equipped surgical facilities at Liverpool, Parkhurst, and Wormwood Scrubs. Each prison has either a full-time managing medical officer or a part-time medical officer, who will usually be a local general practitioner contracted to spend a minimum number of hours each week in prison duties. Additional medical and paramedical support is provided by visiting practitioners in a variety of specialties. The prison medical service has four primary functions: care of the physically ill; health hygiene and advice to management; preparation of reports on inmates; and psychiatric work. Some current issues being debated are the recruitment and professional isolation of prison medical officers; the training, qualifications, and recruitment of prison hospital officers; safeguards for patients; the transfer of medical information and continuity of treatment; and provision for mentally disturbed inmates.