Care Services Improvement Partnership to produce prison social care strategy

The increasing proportion of older prisoners in jails will be a key issue for a prison social care strategy for England that has been commissioned by the Department of Health.

The West Midlands region of the Care Services Improvement Partnership is drawing up the strategy, in conjunction with Birmingham University’s health services management centre, which is designed to improve outcomes for all prisoners with a social care need.

Project lead David Williams said it would focus on older people, who are increasing as a proportion of the prison population, due to their particular health and social care needs, and the difficulties they faced in resettlement.

He said: “Many will not be allowed to resettle in their former communities and will be too vulnerable and frail to live by themselves. Others will die of in prison – it is estimated that the experience of prison ages a person by ten years.”

He said the project team would produce a “strategic statement” for the DH in July.