Dr. Emma Regan:

A delegation from the Prison Service and our National Forensic Service colleagues went to the Netherlands to visit a hospital within a prison there to see the types of supports available. It was helpful to look at what clinical governance and services would be required.

We are proposing an increase in occupational therapy, which we have never had before. We have advertised for an occupational therapy manager. Again, as with all other professions, it is a real challenge. We were not successful last year but again that advertisement is going out. That person will be at a senior level to be able to develop the occupational therapy service. Many areas of the Prison Service would benefit from occupational therapy where people have lost skills because of the amount of time they have been in prison or because of the challenges they face with their mental health. When I have worked with occupational therapists in psychiatric hospitals, they have been the crux of a decent regime for people. After the core psychiatric services, consultants and nurses, and prison officers, they are the next most important piece of the puzzle for a unit we might have.

We need an increased ratio of psychologists to people in custody. We may consider psychologists emulating what is being done in the Netherlands where they take case responsibility for a number of prisoners. It would be similar to what is happening in our national violence reduction unit where they write the care plans excluding the medication piece - the psychosocial piece. The ratio is something like 17 or 24 prisoners to one psychologist. They have case responsibility in conjunction with nursing. It would be a different role for psychologists in prisons, but a really exciting opportunity.