Vol. 568 No. 5
385 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if prisoners have access to general medical services while in custody; if so, the medical services available in the community which are not available to prisoners; and the number, type, qualifications and contract status of medical staff employed specifically to service the needs of prisoners by institution. [16417/03]
All prisoners are provided with access to health care services while in custody. It is policy to seek to provide health services to prisoners of a standard broadly equivalent to that available to persons in the general community covered by the public health system. In as much as possible, primary care – medical, dental – is provided within prison establishments. Where, on the basis of medical assessment, a prisoner is considered to require specialist hospital assessment or treatment, arrangements are made for this through the prison. Such specialist facilities are accessed on the basis that prisoners are treated as public patients. Related health care services such as access to chiropody, optical, etc., services are provided where necessary.
Arising from long-standing difficulties in relation to the recruitment and retention of health care staff to work with prisoners, a group to review the structure and organisation of prison health care services was established in 1999. The report of this group, which was published in 2001, makes a total of 43 recommendations covering various aspects of prison health care including GP, nursing, pharmacy, dental, and psychiatry services. Arising from the publication of this report, a prison health working group comprising representatives from both the Irish Prison Service – Healthcare Directorate – and health boards together with representatives from both the Department of Health and Children and the Department of Justice, Equality, and Law Reform was established. This group, under the chair of Mr. Pat McLoughlin, chief executive officer of the South-Eastern Health Board, has met on a number of occasions with a view to seeking to implement the agreed recommendations of the report. In particular, it is considered desirable to seek to integrate prison based health care services with those services based in surrounding communities in as much as possible and the working group is exploring means of achieving this.
All primary care prison doctors are required to be fully registered with the Irish Medical Council. They are employed under a common contract agreed between the Department of Justice, Equality, and Law Reform, Irish Prison Service and the Irish Medical Organisation, representing the doctors. A small number of doctors are full-time while most provide services on a part-time basis. At present the midlands prison in Portlaoise is serviced by two full-time doctors. Cloverhill Prison is serviced by one full-time, currently vacant, and two part-time doctors. All other prisons are serviced on a part-time basis with the notional allocation of hours dependent on the nature and size of the particular prison population. The part-time position in Portlaoise Prison has been vacant for some time due to problems in filling this post. This position is currently being filled on a locum basis.
The number of doctors by institution is as follows:
|
Institution |
Number |
|
Mountjoy Prison |
3 |
|
Dóchas Centre (Mountjoy Female Prison) |
1 |
|
Wheatfield Prison |
1 |
|
Cork Prison |
1 |
|
St. Patrick's Institution |
1 |
|
Institution |
Number |
|
Limerick Prison |
1 |
|
Castlerea Prison |
1 |
|
Arbour Hill Prison |
1 |
|
Training Unit* |
2 |
|
Shelton Abbey |
1 |
|
Portlaoise Prison |
Vacant |
|
Cloverhill Prison |
3 (one vacant) |
|
Midlands Prison |
2 |
|
Curragh Place of Detention* |
2 |
|
Fort Mitchel* |
2 |
|
Loughan House* |
2 |
|
Institution |
NurseOfficers |
MedicalOrderlies |
|
Mountjoy Prison |
7 |
19 (1 onsecondment) |
|
Dóchas Centre |
6 |
1 |
|
Wheatfield Prison |
14 |
3 |
|
Cloverhill Prison |
23 |
– |
|
Midlands Prison |
17 |
– |
|
St. Patrick' s Institution |
3 |
3 |
|
Arbour Hill Prison |
3 |
5 (1 on secondment) |
|
Castlerea Prison |
6 |
– |
|
Curragh Place of Detention |
7 |
2 |
|
Training Unit |
– |
1 |
|
Cork Prison |
– |
8 |
|
Fort Mitchel |
– |
6 |
|
Shelton Abbey |
– |
2 |
|
Limerick Prison |
1 |
6 |
|
Loughan House |
– |
1 |
|
Portlaoise Prison |
1 |
6 |
|
Beladd House (Prison Service Training Centre) |
– |
– |
|
Total |
88 |
63 |
