Accessing Healthcare in Prison

How patients get help with their health needs

If your loved one in prison has a health need, concern, or wants an appointment with healthcare, they should fill in a Healthcare Application form, often called an “app”, on the wing.

Depending on the prison, this may be a paper form or a digital form on a wing kiosk. Paper forms should be available on every wing. Some prisons have kiosks, but others do not.

Supporting your loved one to fill out a healthcare app

Your loved one can use a healthcare app for any health-related issue, including physical health, mental health, dentistry and eye care.

If your loved one is struggling with the healthcare app process, you could encourage them to:

Make sure to write in neat handwriting that others will be able to understand
Be specific about the health issue. Explain the problem, symptoms and what they need next.
If your loved one has trouble reading or writing, remind them they can ask for help to fill in the app, for example from a Peer Worker, Pact Worker or their POM (Prison Offender Manager). There may also be “easy-read” versions of the healthcare app form available.

How healthcare apps work

After completing a healthcare app, your loved one should submit it. Digital apps are submitted on the kiosk, and paper apps go in the healthcare box on the wing.

It may help to reassure your loved one that asking for healthcare support is important. Some people feel uncomfortable sharing health information, asking for help with an app, or putting a paper app in the box. However, healthcare information is kept private, and paper healthcare boxes are locked so only healthcare staff should access the forms.

Paper apps are usually picked up from each wing once a day by a Peer Worker or someone from healthcare. All paper and digital apps then go to the Healthcare Admin team, who arrange triage and appointments.

Once the app has been processed, a nurse will triage your loved one. This means they will assess the issue and either provide care or book an appointment with the right healthcare professional.

If your loved one needs to see a doctor or specialist, or have a procedure, they will be added to a waiting list and should be told this has happened. If they are unsure, they can ask an officer on the wing or submit another healthcare app for confirmation.

For security reasons, patients are not usually told their appointment time in advance. On the day, they will get a movement slip with the appointment time. This can feel frustrating, but it is standard practice because of prison security rules.

Clashing appointments

Patients are usually told about healthcare appointments on the day, so an appointment may clash with work, education or a social visit. Encourage your loved one to prioritise healthcare appointments where possible.

Some people worry they may get in trouble for missing work or education, but this should not happen. If your loved one is worried, they can ask healthcare for a note explaining their absence.

If they choose to miss their healthcare appointment for something else, they may go back to the bottom of the waiting list and have to wait again.

Security measures around appointments

For security reasons, families are not allowed to know when a healthcare appointment will take place. Families and carers also cannot accompany patients to medical appointments or procedures, even in a community hospital. They can, however, arrange a formal visit if their loved one is recovering in hospital.

If you visit your loved one in hospital, prison staff will be present and may take security precautions. This means your loved one may be handcuffed to the bed or secured to a prison officer with a long chain, although this does not always happen. If your loved one is pregnant, they will not be handcuffed to the hospital bed.

Prioritising appointments

Just as is the case in the community, there may be a waiting list for your loved-one to be seen and people with the most urgent and serious health problems are treated first.

As a result, patients may have to wait for an appointment, procedure or treatment. This can be difficult for both the patient and their family, especially if the patient is in pain or worried about their condition.

If your loved one has been waiting for a while, it may help for them to follow up with healthcare for an update on their treatment or place on the waiting list.

Wait times for appointments

If a patient has waited a long time without being told they are on a waiting list, it may be worth submitting another healthcare app. They should make it as clear and detailed as possible. If the app does not include enough information, the Healthcare Admin team may not be able to process it, and a nurse may not be able to triage them.