Important information for practices to be aware of when registering patients being released from prison – new contractual requirement
We are writing to you in relation to improvements that are being made to ensure individuals leaving the prison estate are registered with a GP. This is vital in helping to support better health outcomes and maintain continuity of care.
This relates to a contractual change in the NHS England Standard General Medical Services (GMS) Contract 2017/18 (see page 64), which means that people can now register with your practice prior to their release from prison. In addition to improving the receipt of patient information, this is intended to simplify the process of registering individuals as they transition back in to the community and avoid unplanned treatment interruptions. This is particularly important, as we know a release from custody can be a crisis situation for some and can result in the reversal of previous health improvements.
This positive change has been informed by patients, primary care clinical leads from community and secure and detained settings, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service and Public Health England.
Requirement of GP practices
To support with registering patients prior to their release from prison, practices are expected to update their procedures and follow this improved process by autumn 2019. You may find it useful to refer to the enclosed flow chart, which sets out how the registration of this patient group works.
To help with this, it is suggested that your practice appoints a GP lead on accepting prisoners back into the surgery.
Please do make every effort to implement this process to support improvements to patient care.
The importance of community GPs not issuing prescriptions for people in prison
Whilst we are writing to you about registering patients being released from prison, we would like to take the opportunity to remind you of the risk of people in custody continuing to access repeat medicines from their community GP. Incidents have been reported relating to continued requests for repeat prescriptions by the prisoner’s representative, which have resulted in the illicit diversion of medicines or inappropriate continuation of medicines once the person is released from custody.
Where detained individuals have not registered with a prison GP, the Patient Demographic Service address will show the prison address. GPs are therefore advised to avoid prescribing for these individuals.
Where a prisoner needs prescription medicine whilst they are in custody, they will be issued by a prison GP regardless of whether or not they are registered with the prison GP practice.
People released from prison will usually be given a minimum of seven day’s supply of the medicines they need to continue.
Should you have any queries relating to the information in this letter, please email england.healthandjustice@nhs.net.
Yours faithfully
Kate Davies
Director of Health & Justice,
Armed Forces and Sexual
Assault Services Commissioning
Dr Jake Hard
Clinical lead for the Health and Justice
Information System and Chair of the
RCGP Secure Environments Group