7, 8 April 2014
During a themed inspection looking at Offender Healthcare
This report relates to the provision of mental health services provided at HMP Preston. The service included an inpatient mental health facility and an integrated mental health team (IMHT) that provided mental health nursing and support, counsellors and psychological wellbeing practitioners.
The service provided primary and specialist secondary mental health services to prisoners who experienced moderate or severe mental illness.
One person who used the services of the IMHT told us: 'They (IMHT worker) helped me find different ways of coping, so I'm not so self-destructive now.'
Another person said of the IMHT: 'They have helped me so much, a bit of human kindness goes a long way.'
We spoke with NHS England about the service provided by the Trust within HMP Preston. They told us that the provider, was fully committed to working in partnership with operational prison staff and communication between the two was 'excellent'. They told us that they had no concerns about the quality of service provided by the Trust.