Resettlement and Health

Preparing for resettlement

If someone in prison has health needs, prison and healthcare staff follow a series of steps to make sure there is a plan for when they are released. This will involve making a care plan, sharing that care plan with the right people, registering the person leaving prison with a GP in the community, and liaising with community services to make sure the person's needs will be met.

Available services

Getting released from prison can feel like a time of change and uncertainty, especially if you have health needs. There is support available to help your loved one get the care they need when they return to the community.

All NHS prison healthcare teams should have a lead for the NHS RECONNECT service, or a similar local service. RECONNECT is there to help your loved one prepare for release and make sure their healthcare continues after they leave prison.

This might include...

helping your loved one register with a GP
referring your loved one to mental health or counselling services in the community
referring your loved one to drug or alcohol support in the community, if this would help them stay well and reduce the risk of relapse
helping to arrange dental or optician appointments in the community
advocacy, information and signposting to other support
putting your loved one in touch with peer mentors
supporting recently released people to get to important healthcare appointments

Is my loved one eligible to get support from RECONNECT?

Your loved one may be eligible for RECONNECT if they are aged 18 or over, have a health need, and are currently in prison or soon to be released. This includes people on remand and people being released on temporary licence.

Your loved one can be referred to RECONNECT up to 12 weeks before their release or up to 28 days after their release. They can be referred to the service from a number of different sources, including from you as a family member or carer.

How do I refer my loved one to RECONNECT?

Find out more about how you can refer a loved-one on the RECONNECT section of the NHS website.

When referring a loved-one to the service you'll need to include:

Your loved one’ prison number
Your loved one’s NHS number (if known)
Confirmation that your loved one in prison is aware that you are making the referral
Information on your loved one’s family and personal circumstances
Your loved one’s health and wellbeing needs
A history of support for your loved one’s health or wellbeing needs
Any need for reasonable adjustments
Whether your loved one is at risk of self-harm or harm to others
Relevant information on your loved one’s offence and license conditions

What happens with my loved one's prescription upon release?

If your loved one takes prescription medication, they should be given a small supply when they are released. This is to help make sure they do not run out before they can register with a GP in the community and arrange a new prescription.

They may be able to collect this medication from the healthcare hatch before they leave, or a healthcare professional may give it to them on release. The supply is likely to be short-term, so it is important that they register with a GP as soon as they can.

Does my loved one need to register with a GP upon release?

When your loved one is released, they will need to register with a GP in the community.

If they registered with the GP while they were in prison, the prison healthcare team may be able to help connect them with a GP after release. If they did not register with the prison GP, they may need to register with a community GP themselves.

What happens to my loved one's medical records upon release?

Registering with the prison GP can also help with medical records. It gives the prison GP access to your loved one’s medical records from before they came into prison, where consent has been given. This can make it easier for healthcare staff to send the right information to a new GP in the community when your loved one is released.

If your loved one has not registered with the prison GP, they may need to ask previous GPs and prison healthcare for their records and pass these on to their new GP themselves.

You may want to encourage your loved one to register with the prison GP by explaining how it can support their care after release. For example, it can help make sure important health information is shared with their new GP, reduce the amount of paperwork they may need to manage themselves, and support a smoother move back into community healthcare. This can be especially helpful at a time when there may already be a lot to organise.