The University of Manchester are hosting an event on Tuesday 24 March 2026, from 14:00–15:00 at a venue in central Westminster. An expert panel will discuss health and care in custody, and practical steps that could help raise standards across the prison estate.

Healthcare in prison is a human right, with the ‘principle of equivalence’ in the UK intended to ensure prisoners are afforded healthcare consistent with the quality and standard as that provided to the general population. In practice, however, systemic shortcomings in the prisons system are leaving prisoners with substandard care, with the needs of older and women prisoners particularly critical.

This event builds on The System and the Cell, a new report from the Social Market Foundation, sponsored by Policy@Manchester – The University of Manchester’s policy engagement unit. Grounded in leading academic research and informed by firsthand insights from those working within the system, the report sheds light on the systemic challenges in prison health and sets out clear, evidence-led recommendations for reform.

This session will be chaired by Dr Rebecca Montacute, Research Director at the Social Market Foundation.  Confirmed panellists include Dr Katrina Forsyth, Senior Research Fellow at The University of Manchester, with further speakers to be confirmed.

 You can register to attend by providing your details here, or by emailing policy@manchester.ac.uk

Interconnecting Health and Justice

Thursday 8th & Friday 9th October 2026 at The Midland, 16 Peter Street, Manchester

Over two days, we will explore how health needs shape justice outcomes and justice systems shape health outcomes. With a solution-focused goal, we will examine learning from the UK and international systems and give a platform to the latest research aligned with the key themes of the Summit.

Key themes this year are:

• Health as a determinant of justice involvement
• Justice involvement as a determinant of health
• Health as a pathway to diversion, rehabilitation, and desistance
  Legal frameworks that protect health rights
• Public health and criminal justice partnerships
• Addressing structural inequalities, severe multiple disadvantage, and wider determinants of health

The UK Health security Agency (UKHSA) is working to build awareness of tuberculosis (TB) in English prisons given several recent deaths in custody from TB. TB is curable and with early detection and treatment these deaths could have been preventable. People with a history of imprisonment have a rate of TB four times higher than the general population. TB incidents and outbreaks in prisons pose a significant health risk for staff and prisoners, while also causing operational disruptions and placing a heavy demand on resources. 

To help combat TB in prisons UKHSA has taken the following actions:

• Delivered a national awareness raising webinar for prison and health staff encouraging them to ‘think TB’; this webinar is available to watch here.
• Developed and published bespoke TB resources for prisons, including information on risks, symptoms and continuity of TB treatment. These are available here.
• On 9th October 2025 newly refreshed national TB guidance for prisons and places of detention will be published. On the 17^th November a new verbal reception screening process for TB will also be introduced in all prisons. 

Further recommendations and resources for those who want to develop, support or deliver services for inclusion health groups and those affected by tuberculosis is available in a toolkit. 

Access the toolkit here.

We are thrilled to share the winning poster submissions from the 11th Health and Justice Summit (2024)

Best quality improvement – ADHD Pathway by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

Best patient safety – Patient safety in prison mental healthcare in England

Assessing the risk factors

The latest report published in August 2024 by the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAPDC) which identifies risk factors associated with premature mortality – and particularly suicide – among patients detained under the Mental Health Act.

Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 19

This learning lessons bulletin summarises the learning from Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) investigations into the deaths of those who died within 14 days of release from prison.

Prison leavers often have multiple and chronic co-morbidities or risk factors, including substance misuse and mental health issues.

The release of the new National Action Plan for Antimicrobial Resistance highlights surveillance and health inequalities as important areas for focus. NHSE have looked at data for antibiotic prescribing in the secure estate and compared this to primary care key indicators and between different secure setting types.

New courses starting

The Health Innovation Network Polypharmacy Programme is inviting clinicians to take part in NHS England funded Action Learning Sets to help build GP and prescribing health care professionals’ confidence in, and understanding of, the complex issues surrounding stopping inappropriate medicines safely.

Three cohorts available for booking:

• 19 June, 3 July, 17 July 2024
• 11 September, 25 September, 9 October 2024

Sessions will run 9:30-12:15 and are held online.

This online interactive course consists of three half-days over one month.

Clinical guidance update

Following a Medicine Supply Notification issued on 3 April 2024 about a national shortage and proposed discontinuation of parenteral (injectable) forms of Pabrinex, DHSC and NHSE have now developed additional clinical guidance for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Clinicians should consider prescribing the equivalent dose of unlicensed injectable thiamine where Pabrinex® is unavailable (which contains 250mg thiamine), where deemed clinically appropriate.

For secure settings

Information resources for measles and MMR in the Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) for detainees, staff and visitors now published alongside other secure settings.