Prison Priorities and Porridge:

HMP Inverness Health and Wellbeing Needs

Assessment

E. Smart, J. Wares, L. Mann,

E. Lee & I. Arain.

NHS Highland Public Health Department

Thank you to:Prisoners

HMP InvernessNHS Highland

Numerous agencies

HMP Inverness Prison (Porterfield)

• Serves courts in the Highlands, Islands and Moray

Established 1902• 25 Men• 10 Women• (49 cells)

Work• Oakum picking• Sack sewing• Mat making

Inverness Prison

What we did....

Purpose: Health and wellbeing needs assessment

To gather views, identify priorities and develop recommendations for service improvement

Who: prisoners, prison staff and agency staff

Methods: qualitative and quantitative Qualitative interviews

117 interviews between February and May 2014 92 participants Family interviewQuantitative data: demographics, smoking status, self reported

health Wellbeing scale

Medical note review

How / timelineMonths Action

Steering group September 2013

Develop tool November 2013

Pilot December 2013

Training of interviewers

December 2 013

Data collection Jan – March 2014

Analysis March – ongoing 2014

Feedback to prison Ongoing 2014

What we found: Participant groups

Agency staff Prison staff Prisoners0

10

20

30

40

50

60

12

241

25

55SelfPerception

What we found.... Prisoners participant sub-group

Untried Short-term sentence Long-term sentence Life sentence0

5

10

15

20

25

No. of prisoners

Number of previous incarcerations

Smoking prevalence

• Smoking prevalence was considerably higher amongst prisoners than staff.

•62% (n=28) of prisoners and 40% (n=2) of prison staff who smoked expressed a desire to stop smoking.

Prison staff Prisoners0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Smoker

Non-smoker

Ex-smoker

Self-reported general health status

•80% of prison staff (n=20) reported good or very good health compared to 60% of prisoners (n=33).

Prison staff Prisoner0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Very goodGoodFairBad

Principal area of concern to participants

Physical health

Mental health & well-being

Education

Food & nutrition

Surroundings

Drug misuse

Alcohol misuse

Safety & security

Use of time

Social network & relationships

-20% -10% 0% 10% 20%

Area viewed neg-atively

Prisoners

Physical health

Mental health & well-being

Education

Food & nutrition

Surroundings

Drug misuse

Alcohol misuse

Safety & security

Use of time

Social network & relationships

-10% 0% 10% 20% 30%

Area viewed neg-atively

Staff

Parenting – ages of children

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9Number of children

Positive mental well-being

• Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Score (WEMWBS)

• Prison and agency staff:▫WEMWBS scores ranged from 42-70▫Mean WEMWBS was 54

•Prisoners:▫WEMWBS scores ranged from 18-66▫Mean WEMWBS was 49

Quotes

UNTRIED PRISONER quote•Some days can’t get through the day. I just

can cope with some days. I have no liberation date and I don’t know what I need to do to get liberated. I feel like I’ve been banged up and stitched up. This prison is the loneliest, saddest place I’ve ever been in. I’ve had a family bereavement recently and no-one bothers to ask you if you’re OK.

• 

Quotes

STAFF PERCEPTION quote•Generally the prisoner has little to

complain about as the privileges are brilliant within the prison and access to dentist, doctor and other services is much quicker than on the outside. Prisoners are able to access things like glasses which they probably wouldn’t be inclined to access on the outside. They come in a wreck but can leave the prison a picture of health.

Quotes – family interview

• ‘lack of privacy and that this doesn’t make for conversation’

• ‘this is as far as I can go do you hear me?’ and ‘it can’t be a repeat event’ and ‘no future for them (meaning their relationship)

• ‘prisoners shouldn’t have it too easy it is not a bloody holiday camp’.

What impact is this work having?Of immediate useParenting data used to shape programmeSmoking prevalence data used to have a dialogue with

the prison about smoke free prisonAlcohol and drug qualitative data incorporated in

HADP needs assessment Longer termAddress cross cutting issues – engagement, equality

and through careWork with the criminal justice system Health improvement planHealthy working lives agenda

Prison Priorities and Porridge: HMP Inverness Health Needs

Assessment

Thank you to:Prisoners

HMP InvernessNHS Highland

Numerous agencies

Thank you for listening and any questions