The prison healthcare service: a workforce committed to change

This article discusses the changes that are needed in the prison healthcare service, outlining the move to a multidisciplinary team approach, away from the outdated, medically dominated service which prevails today. This article supports the partnership arrangements put forward in 'The Future Organization of Prison Health Care' (Department of Health (DoH), 1999) and suggests how this can be achieved locally, calling on nurses working in the prison environment to be proactive and forge links with colleagues in local NHS services. The need for clinical governance to be firmly established and regular reports to be submitted to prison governors on the quality and provision of services is highlighted.