Prison Medicine and Health

There are almost 86,000 people in the prison system in the United Kingdom, held in 118 prisons and nine immigration removal centres. People in the carceral system have some of the most complex health and social care needs in all of society. They have higher rates of cardiovascular disease, mental health issues, substance misuse problems, and the prison setting can increase the spread of infectious diseases. Therefore, they require complex, multidisciplinary care that is person-centred and that does not treat them as a prisoner, but rather as a patient.

As the specialty of prison medicine develops, this brand new Oxford Specialist Handbook provides an introduction to the discipline, offering a definitive hands-on guide that brings together up-to-date policy and guidance alongside practical tips for practitioners working in the prison estate. Focusing on the multidisciplinary care required to best protect the health of people in prison, this new title brings together perspectives from GPs, psychiatrists, nurses, and occupational therapists on how to best deliver care within the constraints of the detention setting.

Emily Phipps, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control, UK Health Security Agency, Oxford, UK

Emily Phipps completed her undergraduate Medical Degree at the University of Liverpool and her Masters Degree in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. During her undergraduate training she undertook numerous public health projects with Medact, the Public Health Action Support Team, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. She held the position of National Medical Director's Clinical Fellow with the Care Quality Commission, developing policy and operational tools for regulating healthcare in prisons. She is currently working as a consultant epidemiologist on Hepatitis C control.

Éamonn O'Moore graduated in medicine from University College Dublin in 1991. He was appointed Director for Health & Justice in the newly formed Public Health England (PHE) in May 2013. He was appointed Director of the UK Collaborating Centre for the WHO Health in Prisons Programme (European Region) in July 2013. He had worked previously as with the Health Protection Agency as Director of Thames Valley Health Protection Unit (2008-2013) and as a public health consultant with Offender Health in the Department of Health (2005-2013). Throughout his career, he has worked to understand and meet the health and social care needs of vulnerable, marginalised or excluded people and communities. His research interests include prison health, migrant health, sexual health, HIV & BBVs, and health inequalities.

Emma Plugge is Associate Professor of Public Health based in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton. Before becoming a researcher, Emma qualified as a doctor and undertook postgraduate training in tropical medicine and in primary care, working in the UK and overseas as a clinician. She subsequently trained in public health and also completed a doctorate at the University of Oxford. Her research now focuses on the health of marginalized groups, particularly the health of people in contact with the criminal justice system and the health of migrants. She is currently involved in a number of research studies investigating communicable and non-communicable diseases in prisons in the UK and internationally. Her work has a particular focus on the health of women and the meaningful involvement of marginalised groups in research.

Jake Hard has worked as a prison GP for several years, enjoying a portfolio career that has seen him chair the Royal College of GPs Secure Environments Group, act as Medical Director for Prisons for CRG Medical Services and also as Clinical Lead for the Health and Justice Information Services. He has worked on the development of several prison policies and networks, and is passionate about supporting clinicians and patients to improve the health and wellbeing of people in secure settings.

1. Introduction to prison medicine, Jake Hard, Éamonn O'Moore, Jane Leamann, and Jörg Pont
2. Key laws and policies related to health in prison, Stefan Enggist, Sunita Sturup-Toft, and Sir Robert Francis QC
3. Prescribing in prisons, Denise Farmer, Laura Hinchliffe, Anna Hiley, and Pippa Morris
4. Promoting health and wellbeing in prisons, Dave Jones, Emily Phipps, Emma Plugge, Ruth Lloyd, Ellie Carslake, Susanne Howes, Sandra White, Kate Jones, and Laura Hinchliffe
5. Conducting consultations, Jake Hard, Caroline Watson, Wayne Sturley, and Chantal Edge
6. Chronic disease management, Tierney Harris, Lauren Grant, Jan Rix, Ruth Bastable, Catherine Glover, Craig Lintern, Hussein Oozerally, Caroline Watson, Ellie Henderson, Lisa Duff, Sarah Jarvis, and Alex Bunn
7. Infectious diseases, Nic Coetzee, Éamonn O'Moore, Yimmy Chow, Iain Brew, Sophie Candfield, Rob Callingham, Anjana Roy, and Susanne Howes
8. Mental health, Seena Fazel, Howard Ryland, Lynne Saunders, Don Grubin, Marcus Bicknell, Jane Leamann, and Alex Bunn
9. Substance misuse, Elish Gilvarry and Mike Kelleher
10. Women's health in prison, Emma Plugge, Ruth Lloyd, Ellie Carslake, Catherine Glover, and Lucy Potter
11. Child and adolescent health in secure environments, Nick Hindley, Alexandra Lewis, and Sheila Jenkins
12. Foreign nationals in detention, Alan Mitchell, Emily Phipps, Seena Fazel, Cornelius Katona, Jane Hunt, and Erin Dexter
13. Ageing in prison, Mary Tuner, Caroline Watson, Chris Pocock, Abi Barlet, Emma Mastracoola, and Saeed Chaudhary
14. Creating person-centred, co-ordinated, and continuous care, Richard Byng
15. Prison health emergencies, Stacey Hilton, Gareth Alderson, Lindsey Cockerill, Anna Hinley, and Husein Oozeerally