A conference jointly hosted by the University of Lincoln and Royal Holloway, University of London on the 26th of June in central London saw the launch of a healthcare commissioning toolkit. This resource is a product of an NIHR RfPB funded research study, led by Dr Coral Sirdifield in the Community and Health Research Unit at the University of Lincoln.
The resource is freely available to download from probhct.dev.lincoln.ac.uk and will soon be available on the National Probation Service (NPS) EQUIP system. It contains information about the roles and responsibilities of different organisations in this field, infographics on the likely health needs of people on probation, some potential models of good practice, and some ideas about potential indicators for the quality of healthcare that people on probation receive.
The conference, chaired by Lord Ramsbotham, provided an opportunity for those with an interest in the health of people in contact with probation to discuss why it is important to focus on this topic, and some of the challenges around this. Presentations were given from a variety of perspectives, including from the NPS and Public Health England; and included examples of innovative practices and services such as services for supporting women and babies in the criminal justice system, a rapid assessment pilot, and recovery-focused Approved Premises.
Dr Sirdifield and her team are keen to work with members of CCGs and Public Health Departments that have an interest in developing data collection on health needs, and quality indicators in this field.
For more information about this or the conference, please contact Coral on csirdifield@lincoln.ac.uk
This independent research is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme (Grant Reference Number PB-PG-0815-20012). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.