Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS staff are seconded to the prison health system.

It is expected that all prisons have access to a full range of health professionals as per services within the community.

Since 2013, NHS England has been responsible for commissioning all healthcare services for prisoners in England. Services are commissioned for individual prisons by NHS England’s local commissioners, based on a local health needs assessment which informs the provision of services required.

NHS England has commissioned a report looking at the workforce, market management and recruitment and retention in the adult prison estate in England, to support providers in their recruitment approaches.

The information on the number of National Health Service staff seconded to, and the number of full time general practitioners working in the prison health system is not collected centrally.