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In this month's edition...
The NHS Long Term Plan
The NHS has published its Long Term Plan, which sets out its priorities for the next 10 years, including the long-term approach to health and justice. Clinks’ submission to the Long Term Plan’s development has been reflected in the final report, including the prioritisation of issues such as the continuity of care, meeting mental health needs and partnership working. The plan also makes a number of commitments, including the expansion of Community Sentence Treatment Requirements and a full roll-out of the health and justice digital patient record information system across all adult prisons. Other important commitments are made, including the provision for everyone entering prison to receive both an initial health screening on entry and a follow up appointment within seven days. Find out more here
Novel drug trends
The Forward Trust held the first 'Novel Drug Trends' conference, which was a partnership between charity and NHS organisations. The event attracted an audience of 130 professionals from a range of fields related to the management of drug misuse and examined the risks and challenges from the newer synthetic Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) – in both community and prison environments. Speaking at the event, Forward’s CEO, Mike Trace, spoke about how “Spice, or NPS, presents a specific challenge for us when designing services. We have to change our treatment systems to adjust to this new pattern of drug use and the introduction of these new substances”. Find out more here
Therapy dogs in prisons
The Centre for Mental Health has published Restoring something lost. The Centre evaluated the work that Rethink is doing with therapy dogs over three prison sites. They found that the therapy dogs had a calming influence on prisoners, helped increase coping skills and strategies and provided a safe space for them to explore ways of expressing and processing emotions. Download the report here
The NHS standard contract consultation
NHS England is now consulting on the NHS Standard Contract for 2019/20. Stakeholders are invited to comment on the proposals by 1st February. The draft contract and consultation documents are available on the NHS Standard Contract web page. Find out more here
Bursary tickets for NICE conference
NICE is offering a conference ticket bursary for voluntary organisations to attend the 2019 NICE conference [9th May, Manchester, from free]. This year's bursary package consists of a full day delegate pass to the conference worth £149 plus VAT. The conference will discuss: whether transformative medicines or public health programmes will ensure the sustainability of the NHS; case studies on quality improvement; the future of the health and care landscape; and more. Find out more here
Government response to Independent inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
The government has published its response to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse interim report recommendations. The report was commissioned by the Home Secretary in 2015 to look at the extent to which institutions in England and Wales have discharged their duty to protect children from sexual abuse. Read the response here (PDF download)
Women's mental health
The Women’s Mental Health Taskforce – co-chaired by Health Minister Jackie Doyle-Price and Agenda’s Chief Executive Katharine Sacks-Jones – has set out its key principles for gender and trauma-informed care in its final report. Drawing on women’s own lived experience of mental ill-health heard through a series of focus groups, it encourages commissioners, providers and practitioners to promote best practice in their organisations while taking into account women’s individual, gender-specific needs. Find out more here
Independent review of the Mental Health Act
Make Every Adult Matter (MEAM), a coalition of Clinks, Homeless Link and Mind, has responded to the final report of the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act. The Review, chaired by Professor Sir Simon Wesseley, was set up to look at how the legislation in the Mental Health Act 1983 is used and how practice can improve. MEAM welcomes the review’s recognition of the need for more accessible and responsive mental health crisis services and community-based mental health services. It particularly welcomed the recognition that current opportunities for early intervention are being missed, leading to people’s first contact with services through the police, and that police cells should not be used as a place of safety and that health-based places of safety should be commissioned instead. Find out more here
Reducing health inequality
NHS England has published Equality and Health Inequality NHS RightCare Packs. The packs aim to support health and care systems design and deliver services that work to reduce health inequalities in access to services and health outcomes for their diverse local populations. The information contained in each pack is specific to each local health system and should be used to support local discussions and inform a more in-depth analysis. Each tailored pack considers measures of health inequality that aim to support health systems identify areas of improvement. Find out more here
Harm reduction in prisons in Europe
The European Union Joint Action on HIV and Co-infection Prevention and Harm Reduction (HA-REACT) has published two reports: European Mapping of harm reduction interventions in prisons; and Availability, coverage and barriers towards condom provision in prisons: a review of the evidence. Each discusses ways to reduce the transmission of infection within the prison environment across Europe. HA-REACT addresses existing gaps in the prevention of HIV and other co-infections, especially tuberculosis and viral hepatitis, among people who inject drugs. Find out more here
Health and medical welfare
The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust funds charities operating in the UK in the fields of health and medical welfare; as well as the advancement of the arts and environmental protection or improvement. Grants are between £500 and £5000. The majority of the Trust’s grants are single grants over a one-year period. Occasionally longer-term grants (usually up to three years) are agreed by the Trustees when deemed to have particular merit. Deadline for applications is the 7th February. Find out more here
Older people
The Dunhill Medical Trust, a UK-based charitable trust founded in 1950, provides grants to voluntary organisations active in the UK. The Trust offers two funding schemes for community-based organisations who work directly with older people who need some form of extra support to make everyday living easier. These are: project grants of between £5,000 and £40,000 for projects lasting up to 36 months; and building and physical infrastructure grants of between £5,000 and £100,000 (awarded as a single lump sum). The deadline for applications is the 29th March. Find out more here
Criminal justice and human rights
The AB Charitable Trust has grants available for charities that work with marginalised and excluded people in society, with a focus that includes criminal justice, and human rights, particularly access to justice. Grants range in size, with most grants awarded being in the range £10,000 to £20,000. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Find out more here
Resources for older prisoners
RECOOP has re-branded its 'In-cell Activity Packs' as 'Distraction Packs' to better reflect their purpose. Recognising the importance of older prisoners keeping mentally active, they contain quizzes, reading material, puzzles, word searches, health information, poetry, facts about the world and much more. They are available to subscribers at £100 per issue or £1,000 per year (12 issues), sent in the form of a printable PDF for distribution. If you would like to see a sample copy or require further information, please contact info@recoop.org.uk
Mental health and prevention
The Association of Mental Health Providers, with the support of VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance, of which Clinks is a member, will be hosting an engagement event with workshops on mental health and prevention [4th February, Liverpool, free]. The event seeks to engage with key stakeholders and will have presentations from Public Health England on the 'Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health' programme, Centre for Mental Health on suicide prevention, and examples of voluntary sector engagement at the local level looking at prevention planning and health equalities/ inequalities. The presentations will be followed by workshop sessions to discuss the voluntary sector’s role in mental health prevention to reduce health inequalities, considering barriers and disadvantages faced by protected communities. Find out more and book here
Health and justice in the NHS
In this blog, Clinks Policy Officer Lauren Nickolls discusses the health and justice aspect of the NHS Long Term Plan. The plan sets out its priorities for the next 10 years, following a public consultation. In October, Clinks provided a submission to the development of the plan focusing on health and justice. We called for the NHS to prioritise the continuity of care for people entering and leaving prison, mental health and stronger partnership working in their approach. Read the blog here
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This regular bulletin provides Clinks members with the latest news for voluntary sector organisations involved in the health and care of people in the criminal justice system. It currently has 3,279 subscribers.
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