- Health experts to operate from probation offices for the first time and attend appointments with offenders
- Scheme will mean offenders are quickly screened for issues that fuel criminality
- Part of Government’s Plan for Change to cut crime and address root causes of reoffending
For the first time ever, clinicians and nurses will work directly from probation offices in crime hotspots across the country and sit in on appointments between offenders and probation staff as part of a new effort to ensure tough community punishment cuts crime.
The scheme will ensure NHS professionals can quickly screen up to 4,000 offenders for issues such as mental health and drug or alcohol misuse and refer them to services aimed at directly tackling addictions that can fuel their criminality.
It will also provide offenders with mental and chronic health issues or neurodivergent conditions with stronger links to other services such as their local GP practice and local authority housing officers, giving them the support they need to turn their backs on crime for good.
Evidence shows offenders on probation are far more likely than the general public to experience mental health and addiction issues, which are proven to increase the likelihood of reoffending.
Further studies show that getting offenders to confront their health issues through specialist support helps drive down their chance of committing further crimes, meaning fewer future victims.
The initiative is being piloted in four areas plagued by high levels of reoffending and will also aim to reduce the amount of missed GP appointments and hospital readmissions, which cost the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds every year.
Lord Timpson, Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, said
Too many offenders are stuck in a cycle of crime driven by untreated mental health problems or addiction. This new approach brings our NHS into the heart of the justice system so we can better diagnose and solve the problem while cutting reoffending.
By tackling these issues head-on as part of our Plan for Change, we’re better protecting the public by addressing the root causes of crime – not just the symptoms.
It is estimated that up to half of the adult prison population, many of which are later released into the community under licence conditions, could be considered neurodivergent – covering a range of conditions and disorders such as learning disabilities and acquired brain injuries.
A report by the Chief Medical Officer found offenders in the community are far more likely to experience general poor health, unemployment and homelessness, all of which fuel reoffending and create more victims.
It also found that despite these offenders facing some of the greatest health problems, they often suffered from the most barriers to accessing care, such as trouble registering with GPs due to a lack of an address or photo identification.
As part of the scheme, offenders will be supported by dedicated “health navigators” with lived experience of the criminal justice system to help remove barriers and establish better links to local healthcare services.
The pilot forms part of the Government’s flagship 10 Year Health Plan, backed by a £29 billion increase in funding over the next three years, to help transform community healthcare, giving people access to care close to home and building an NHS fit for the future.
Baroness Gillian Merron, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women’s Health and Mental Health
Too many people caught in the cycle of reoffending also struggle with poor health. Untreated mental health conditions, addiction and chronic illness make it far harder to turn your life around.
These Health Hubs are about breaking this cycle – preventing reoffending and demands on the NHS, because prevention is better than cure.
By providing offenders with a health assessment and the right support, we’re giving them a real shot at rebuilding their lives. That means healthier communities and safer streets.
Dr Dianne Addei, Director of Healthcare Inequalities Improvement, NHS England said
For the first time, healthcare staff will be working directly with thousands of offenders in probations offices that they regularly attend to ensure they have access to support for a range of issues including registering with GP practices, screening, mental health, and addiction services.
We know that people released from prison often have poorer health outcomes, and evidence shows that the faster you intervene the more likely you are to see improvements, so this new scheme is a vital step to boosting people’s health at the same times as reducing their likelihood of reoffending.
And these new hubs will provide a bright new opportunity to reduce health inequalities by bringing community health and probation services together.
The partnership between the Probation Service and the NHS is a key part of the Government’s Plan for Change to tackle health barriers, reduce reoffending and cut crime.
It follows the recent expansion of the Intensive Supervision Court scheme, which uses a tough new community sentencing approach to tackling the root causes of offenders’ behaviour.
These pioneering courts see offenders found guilty of committing crimes such as theft while facing issues like addiction or trauma attend necessary treatments and regularly appear before the same judge who can track their behaviour.
The Government is also increasing the Probation Service’s budget by an extra £700 million over the next three years and investing in new technology to reduce admin so staff can focus on work that reduces reoffending.
