Prison mental health services

This contribution describes current prison mental health service provision in the UK and suggests further practice areas for consideration. Following the commissioning and provision of all healthcare services in prisons to NHS Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), many innovative reforms have taken place. Prison mental health services have undergone and are undergoing significant change in order to provide equivalent mental healthcare to prisoners. Evaluation of reform is necessary in the foreseeable future, firstly to establish whether there are measurable positive changes from the substantial investment in this work, and secondly to address the implications of this work in order to inform and guide future practice.