Funding for prisoners' mental health

Over stg£200,000 is to be taken from the healthcare budget to support prisoners' mental wellbeing, Northern Ireland's Health …

Over stg£200,000 is to be taken from the healthcare budget to support prisoners' mental wellbeing, Northern Ireland's Health Minister said today.

Extra money to boost inadequate provision for inmates has been allocated despite warnings that there are not enough psychiatric health nurses in the general NHS.

With high suicide rates and long waiting times for community care, Health Minister Michael McGimpsey was warned by Assembly scrutiny committee chair Iris Robinson that the allocation should not affect provision members of the public suffering mental ill health.

Mrs Robinson was forced to leave the Assembly earlier this week after being censured for unparliamentary criticism of the Health Minister.

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Partial responsibility for prison health care was transferred to the Department of Health in April this year in an effort to improve standards and patient care. A total of £5m was ringfenced from the Northern Ireland Office to deal with the switch.

An extra £450,000 investment in mental health, separate from ordinary psychiatric funds, to be split evenly between the NIO and Health Department has not been paid because the switch isn't complete.

Earlier this year Belfast coroner John Leckey likened conditions in Maghaberry jail, Co Antrim, to the Tower of London during medieval times and witnesses from the prison health service admitted not enough medics were available.