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<p>Prisons should be places of safety and reform. We recognise that the current level
of suicide and self-harm is too high. With this in mind, the Government is taking
unprecedented action, including:</p><ul><li>investing in over 4,700 additional staff
since October 2015;</li><li>introducing new suicide and self-harm prevention training,
which has already reached over 24,000 staff;</li><li>improving support for prisoners
in their early days and weeks and rolling out a ‘key worker’ scheme which ensures
each prisoner has dedicated support from a particular prison officer;</li><li>funding
the Samaritans to provide their valuable Listeners Scheme for a further three years;
and</li><li>improving the ACCT case management process for those identified as at
risk of self-harm or suicide.</li></ul><p> </p><p>We are also committed to taking
action to improve prisoners’ health. Since April 2018, a new National Partnership
Agreement has been in place, marking an even stronger level of co-operation and cohesiveness
between agencies that influence the policy, commissioning and delivery of prison health
services. The agreement sets out how the partnership (DHSC, NHS England, MoJ, HMPPS
and Public Health England) will work together to deliver its three core objectives.
It agrees ten key priority areas for 2018-2021, including reducing incidents of self-harm
and self-inflicted deaths in the adult secure estate.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, NHS
England has published a new Service Specification for Integrated Substance Misuse
Treatment Services in Prisons in England, which brings greater focus to the treatment
of users of psychoactive substances and makes stronger links to mental health.</p>
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