Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of prisoners had mental health difficulties upon arrival in adult prison in each year from 2005 to 2014 to date.

Health assessments are undertaken during an individual’s reception into prison or a youth offender institution. This includes a mental health assessment, which identifies any treatment and support needed. Information on the proportion of people with mental health difficulties entering prison or a youth offender institution is not available centrally.

The Government is rolling out liaison and diversion services in police stations and courts across England, commissioned by NHS England and with full coverage by 2017. Funding for these services in 2014-15 is £25 million. These services identify offenders with vulnerabilities, including mental health problems, in order to facilitate referral into relevant treatment services as soon as possible.

Since April 2013, NHS England has commissioned health services within prisons and young offender institutions. As in the community, prison mental health services are provided through a combination of primary care and specialist teams and most prisoners’ needs can be met by primary care. Care for prisoners’ more serious mental health conditions is usually provided by specialist in-reach teams, but if prisoners’ need psychiatric inpatient care they can be transferred to a secure mental health hospital if they meet the criteria to be detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

For offenders leaving custody, National Health Service guidance sets an expectation that prisoners are either registered with a general practitioner (GP) practice before they leave or are provided with the necessary information to register with a GP on release and, where possible, provided with support in doing so. This will help facilitate continuity of care on release.

Released prisoners can access the full range of mental health services available in the community. Offenders with identified mental health problems, who need secondary mental health services, are subject to the Care Programme Approach (CPA) during their stay in prison and on release. CPA enables the planning of treatment and continuity of mental health care for the individual. On release from prison, offenders needing CPA should have a care plan and, pre-release, the prison mental health in-reach team should inform and share information with the individual's GP to ensure continuity of care.