HC Deb 27 February 1996 vol 272 cc493-5W
Mr. Gerrard

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken to prevent discrimination against prisoners with specific health problems. [16695]

Miss Widdecombe

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Neil Gerrard, dated 27 February 1996: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about steps taken to prevent discrimination against prisoners with specific health problems. The Prison Service is conscious of the need to prevent discrimination against prisoners with specific health problems. For this reason, all notes pertaining to a prisoner's health are contained in the Inmate Medical Record (IMR). This record is kept under conditions of medical confidentiality and details of an inmate's health status are not normally made known to anyone outside the care team. (There are special exceptions such as reports to Court). Medical officers and nurses working in the Prison Service adhere to professional codes of conduct and health care officers who are not nurses work under the supervision of the Medical Officer and are covered by that professional Code of Conduct in relation to issues of confidentiality. Induction training for medical officers, for nurses and health care officers emphasises the need for medical confidentiality to be maintained. HIV training for prison staff, health care staff, counsellors and prison psychologists stresses the importance of medical confidentiality.

Mr. Gerrard

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what regular medical checks prisoners in prisons in England and Wales receive; and what systematic checks are carried out for transmissible diseases. [16701]

Miss Widdecombe

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Neil Gerrard, dated 27 February 1996: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about prisoners' medical checks and what systematic checks are carried out for transmissible diseases. All persons receive a medical screening on first reception into custody. A health check is also made at each transfer between establishment, and also each time a prisoner returns from court in the case of remand prisoners. There are no other systematic checks, but prisoners are encouraged to discuss their health care with staff. Prisoners receive advice and are counselled concerning testing for transmissible disease. At reception Hepatitis B vaccine is offered and all health screening includes questions about transmissible disease.

Mr. Gerrard

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what specific provisions are made for those prisoners known to be terminally ill. [16694]

Miss Widdecombe

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Neil Gerrard, dated 27 February 1996: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about provisions for terminally ill prisoners. All prisoners receive medical treatment appropriate to their needs. Prisoners who are suffering from a terminal illness and who are expected to die before the end of their prison sentence may be released on compassionate grounds. Needs vary between individuals, and the responsible Medical Officer will make recommendations appropriate to the needs of the individual case, bearing in mind security issues and the need to protect the public.

Mr. Gerrard

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the total annual budget for prisons in England and Wales is designated for health care. [16696]

Miss Widdecombe

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Neil Gerrard, dated 27 February 1996: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the percentage of the total annual budget for prisons which is designated for health care. At individual prison establishments it is for the governor to decide what proportion of his budget should be allocated to health care. having regard to the overall demands to be met. In 1994–95 spending on health care services accounted for £59 million—3.7 per cent. of the Service's total expenditure. This covered staffing costs and provision of patient care at establishments as well as the central Directorate of Health Care budget.

Mr. Gerrard

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policies the Prison Service has concerning the prevention of transmissible or contagious diseases(a) in general and (b) in respect of particular outbreaks. [16684]

Miss Widdecombe

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Neil Gerrard, dated 27 February 1996: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about Prison Service policy on prevention of transmissible or contagious diseases. The Prison Service policy on the prevention of transmissible or contagious diseases in general is to screen for transmissible diseases on reception into prison. Health checks are also provided on transfer to another establishment and in the case of remand prisoners, on return from Court. In the case of testing for infection, testing is only carried out with the informed consent of the prisoner, which means that pre-test counselling is made available. This is the policy in the community and is reflected in Prison Service policy and practice. In the case of Hepatitis B, immunisation is offered to inmates on reception. The policy is to maintain medical confidentiality in respect of a prisoner's health status. All outbreaks of notifiable transmissible diseases are reported to the Consultant in Communicable Disease Control. His/her advice in the management of outbreaks is mandatory. Each prison is required to have contingency plans for the outbreak of food poisoning or other communicable diseases and these contingency plans must be approved by the Consultant in Communicable Disease Control.

Mr. Gerrard

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision is available to prisoners for therapeutic and psychological follow-up in the case of positive results in tests for transmissible diseases. [16704]

Miss Widdecombe

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from A. J. Pearson to Mr. Neil Gerrard, dated 27 February 1996: The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about what provision is available to prisoners for therapeutic and psychological follow-up in the case of positive results in tests for transmissible diseases. There is training for medical officers, prison psychologists, HIV counsellors and health care workers to enable them to provide medical, psychological and social care to people who test positive to HIV infection. The skills and techniques of counselling for HIV infection are directly relevant to the psychological and therapeutic follow-up for other transmissible diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and tuberculosis. The multi-disciplinary HIV teams and counsellors are now receiving training which orientates them not just to HIV but for all communicable diseases.

Mr. Gerrard

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in prisons in England and Wales are currently known to be terminally ill; and what information is available as to the nature of the terminal illness. [16693]

Miss Widdecombe

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter front Richard Tilt to Mr. Neil Gerrard, dated 27 February 1996: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about terminally ill prisoners in England and Wales. Information on the causes and total numbers of inmates who currently have terminal illnesses is not available centrally. However, health care advisors suggest that they average between 20 and 30 in the service at any one time.