Physical Health: Choosing Health Agenda

Physical health and disease control problems are significantly higher in the prison population than in the wider community. Delivering long term health interventions to offenders is difficult as most are in custody for less than six months. There is also poor engagement in health initiatives and preventions by offenders in the community.

Health Trainers

Many Prisons are taking part in a national initiative to improve positive physical and consequently mental health outcomes. The project known as Health Trainers  Project is a national peer education project, operating across England. By training individual prisoners in the prison community to sign-post their peers towards health services, it is hoped that individuals in the prison community will have better access to healthy living information and preventions which may help to improve their health. Individuals trained as health trainers in prison may also be able to find work in the community as a health trainer upon release.

Chronic Disease Management

Offender Health at the Department of Health commissioned the Regional Development Centres to establish the level of primary, secondary and tertiary management of Coronary Heart Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease,  Epilepsy and Asthma currently being delivered in prisons. The West Midlands Report is available here. During 2010/11 part of the West Midlands Regional Strategic Plan, is to build on this work and ensure that chronic disease management  and exercise referral are delivered to the "Green" standard as set out in the Prison Health Performance and Quality Indicators.