Protecting the health of offenders in prison and other places of detention.

摘要

The care of prisoners (offenders) in England lies with the Department of Health (DH) and the ability of the PCTs to commission services. In other countries of the UK this differs; in Scotland the Scottish Prison Service manages the responsibility of offender health, with responsibility resting with local health boards in Wales and the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland. This article provides the community nurse with an overview of health protection in England's prisons and places of detention along with a review of communicable disease, immunization and infection prevention and control. General advice on legal obligations is provided with infection control principles and a discussion concerning incident and outbreak management. The role of the community nurse in the prison setting is no different to the role being undertaken in any other situation or environment where people require health care. Offenders are entitled to the same standards of healthcare as the general public.