Free Nursing Dissertations - The Prison Mental Health Expert Group Has Also Been Focused On Identifying
The Prison Mental Health Expert Group has also been focused on identifying and developing guidance for prisons and the NHS to help them achieve the changes the strategy sets out. According to the five-year strategy multi-agency collaboration for have been emphasised between the NHS and prison service. The following action plan for the Care Programme Approach (CPA) was laid out
Mental health Care Co-ordinators for people in receipt of the Care Programme Approach (CPA) should:
take steps to ensure that they remain in contact with the care and treatment of individuals receiving CPA who enter the prison system. In particular Care Co-ordinators need to make sure that they are wherever possible aware of individuals’ location and likely release date, so that appropriate care can be planned for their release.(DoH, 2001)
The DoH directives also point out that prison health care staff should:
ensure that they comply with existing guidance on the discharge of prisoners with ongoing health needs, and specifically that they as far as possible communicate information to an individual’s general practitioner or to community services to ensure proper continuity of care;
recognise the legitimate continuing interest of inmates’ mental health Care Co-ordinators, and, as far as possible, facilitate the provision of essential information to aid discharge planning. (DoH, 2001)
The Department of Health summarizes the objectives to such a care approach and reemphasizes that the ‘prison service health care centres and NHS mental health services share responsibility for ensuring appropriate liaison on the care of mentally ill prisoners. It is particularly important that effective links are made to ensure sound discharge planning when inmates are released from prison' (DoH, 2001).
Considering the more legal aspects in our analysis, certain procedural necessities have been given by the Mental Health Act, 1983 for care and services of mentally ill prisoners. According to the part III of the Act concerning patients involved in criminal proceedings, Hospital order (Section 37) of up to six months and renewable further can be given. The order can be made by the Crown Court, or Magistrates’ Court in the case of an offender convicted of an offence that it could punish with a prison sentence.
The Mental Health Act states that ‘The Magistrates’ Court can make a hospital order without recording a conviction, if an offender is suffering from mental illness or severe mental impairment, and magistrates are satisfied that she or he committed the act as charged’ (Mental Health Act, 1983).
However there are certain legal procedures to prove mental disorder before going forward with a hospital order for a prisoner.
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