§ Mrs. Renée Short asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is currently given to prison hospital officers in the care of mentally disordered patients; and whether he intends to propose any improvements in training, including secondment to special hospitals.
§ Mr. Mayhew:All prison hospital officers attend an initial training course, which includes teaching on the care of those suffering from psychiatric disorders and a two week attachment to a local psychiatric hospital or a special hospital. Hospital officers gain most of their experience by working in prison hospitals, where at first they are closely 175W supervised. We encourage local arrangements for hospital officers to be temporarily attached to National Health Service hospitals later in their careers. We intend to undertake a wide-ranging review of training in the prison service, which will include the training of hospital officers.