Recurring concern
Insufficient availability of prison healthcare services outside limited operating hours
- Reports that mention this concern
- 5
- Times this concern has been raised
- 5
- Stated actions linked to this concern
- 4
What this concern includes
Includes absent overnight healthcare staff and prison healthcare services whose restricted operating hours leave clinically unsafe gaps in access.
What is not included
- General prison-healthcare policy or specification concerns without an access gap
- Condition-specific prison treatment failures
- Community or hospital out-of-hours healthcare
Trends
Reports over time
Reports mentioning this concern, over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Reports and published responses 5 reports
See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response
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Concerns raised1
Unavailability of prison healthcare outside limited operating hours
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
- Department of Health and Social Care
- HM Prison and Probation Service
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
-
Department of Health and Social Care
Work with partners to reduce health inequalities and improve timely, effective healthcare access for people in prison.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.3
-
HM Prison and Probation Service
NHS England is responsible for commissioning prison healthcare services and will address healthcare provider operating hours.
-
Department of Health and Social Care
Healthcare provision at this Category C prison is required within core hours, considered equivalent to community provision.
-
Department of Health and Social Care
Integrated care boards are responsible for urgent and out-of-hours healthcare for prisoners.
-
Concerns raised1
Unavailability of clinical mental health provision outside weekday office hours
This report raised 10 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- NHS England
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
-
NHS England
Implement re-commissioned prison healthcare services, including seven-day mental health provision, on-site attendance and out-of-hours urgent referral protocols.
-
Concerns raised1
Unavailability of in-house healthcare during the night for prisoners suspected to be under the influence
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
-
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Update guidance to clarify that required patient monitoring cannot occur without on-site healthcare and requires hospital transfer.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.3
-
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
NHS England is responsible for explaining whether 24-hour healthcare should be commissioned in Category C prisons because of drug-related patient safety risks.
-
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Existing night arrangements, including trained officers, personal management plans, on-call GP advice and emergency services, are relied upon to manage healthcare concerns.
-
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Patient monitoring cannot be undertaken at night without healthcare staff on site; patients requiring monitoring must instead be transferred to hospital.
-
Concerns raised1
Lack of overnight healthcare staff in the prison
This report raised 11 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- HM Prison and Probation Service
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
-
HM Prison and Probation Service
Review local first-aid staffing risks, including night provision, and continue regular reviews to maintain coverage.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
-
HM Prison and Probation Service
Existing first-aid training requirements and local risk assessments are considered sufficient to ensure enough trained staff are deployed at all times.
-
Concerns raised1
Lack of 24-hour healthcare across the prison estate
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
- Department of Health and Social Care
- NHS England
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.3
-
NHS England
Existing needs-based commissioning and round-the-clock external, emergency, general-practitioner and first-responder access are considered sufficient without universal onsite 24/7 healthcare.
-
Department of Health and Social Care
Healthcare matters in the prison estate are commissioned by NHS England and Improvement, which has already provided a response.
-
NHS England
Matters of concern i, ii, iii and v do not relate to NHS Digital, so it has no comment on them.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.
Data last updated 7 September 2026