Medical care
 

Many prisoners enter the prison system with established complex needs that have not previously been diagnosed or recognised which might have played a role in their offending behaviour, according to a 2020 NHS England report.
 

Gemma Wilson is head of healthcare at Winchester Prison.
 

“Supported by 60 staff including nurses, pharmacists, GPs, dentists, opticians and mental health specialists, healthcare at Winchester Prison is very much as a ‘service within a service’.”

Prisoners have a wide range of needs.

“A high number of men come to us with existing mental health conditions and drug dependency.”

For a man with drug dependency, help in prison can be life-changing. 
 

“Poor mental health and drug addiction often go hand-in-hand. Removing men from chaotic lives gives them more chance to overcome addiction.”
 

Treating men with poor mental health is a big part of the healthcare team’s work.
 

“Such is the need for intensive care in our healthcare unit that ten beds are allocated for mental illness compared to five for prisoners with physical healthcare needs.”#
 

Healthcare has a knock-on effect on reducing reoffending.
 

“Poor mental health often has implications on criminal behaviour. If we can support a man through drug dependency, we’re hopeful that he can free himself from the criminality that often goes with it.”