Youth offending teams lack healthcare workers

One in six youth offending teams do not have a healthcare worker even though primary care trusts are under a statutory duty to provide one, a report today finds.

The Healthcare Commission and probation inspectorate study of 50 YOTs also found one-third did not have a mental health worker, despite 40 per cent of young offenders having emotional or mental health needs.

The report also found 60 per cent of YOTs did not have adequate health representation at board level, while one-third had no formal procedure for holding the NHS to account for their services.

The Healthcare Commission warned that it would assess PCTs’ compliance with their duty to provide a health worker to YOTs as part of annual assessments.