Professional stakeholders’ experiences and views of palliative and end-of-life care provision in prisons in Northern Ireland: A qualitative study

Recommendations.

The Northern Ireland Prison Service and Healthcare in Prison staff should be commended for offering an individualised, empathic and compassionate service to people in prison with palliative and end of life care needs. This work could be further enhanced by action on the following recommendations:

Prison Officers and Healthcare in Prison staff should continue to nurture positive working relationships, underpinned by effective communication and respect.

Social work and social care services should be embedded within the healthcare in prison team.

If the number of people in prison with complex co-morbidities, or who require end-of-life care increases, the Northern Ireland Prison Service should explore options for purpose-built facilities.

Awareness raising training about the need to ‘see the person’ rather than their crime should be provided to all health and social care professionals involved with people in prison, including those caring for people on compassionate temporary release.

People in prison have equal access to palliative and end-of-life care services regardless of their ethnicity, socioeconomic status, imprisonment, sexual orientation, age, gender identity and geographic location.

If the Prisoner Escorting and Court Custody Service are unable to transport a person in prison to a specialist medical appointment that the GP deems urgent, the Northern Ireland Prison Service should try to arrange transport or complete a risk assessment for relatives to escort the person.

When a person in prison is dying and their relatives wish to spend more time at the bedside, this should be supported and the risk should be assessed.

Confirm who has responsibility for Advance Care Planning within the Northern Ireland Prison Service and ensure people in prison are aware that they can record their wishes and priorities for future care.

Explore how the Samaritan’s listening service could be extended to include people who need emotional or social support following the diagnosis of a life-limiting illness or who find living with a chronic illness distressing.

Fast track applications for compassionate temporary release, to enable people in prison to be cared for in the most appropriate or preferred setting.