Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Wakefield for reporting year 1 May 2019 – 30 April 2020, published in March 2021, what steps he plans to take to respond to the recommendation to ensure expeditious transfers of prisoners who present with serious acute mental health conditions to appropriate mental health accommodation as a matter of extreme urgency.

We have a responsibility to ensure those in prison receive appropriate care in the right setting, at the right time. If a prisoner is suffering from a mental disorder to an extent that warrants detention under the Mental Health Act, they should be transferred to hospital. We recognise that currently this takes too long, and we are determined to improve the transfer process, ensure delays are reduced and avoid prison being used inappropriately.

NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE/I) will shortly be publishing revised guidance on the transfer and remission to hospital from prison. The new guidance will promote timely access to appropriate treatment under the Mental Health Act and reduce unnecessary delays to treatment.

In the recently published DHSC and MoJ White Paper on Reforming the Mental Health Act, the government has committed to introduce a new statutory time limit of 28 days for transfers to mental health hospitals, once the NHSE/I guidance has been fully embedded in practice. We will also introduce a new independent role to oversee the transfer process which will further help to reduce unnecessary delays.

The Government's full response to the Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Wakefield will be issued shortly.