Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press article entitled Mind the gap: supporting prison leavers with mental illness from the University of Manchester, published on 27 March 2024, what steps he is taking to ensure that prison leavers with severe mental health issues receive the necessary support with (a) housing, (b) access to services, and (c) community reintegration.

The National Health Service’s RECONNECT care after custody service supports prison leavers with an identified health need, including severe mental illness, to transition to community-based services, and starts working with them before they leave prison.

NHS England is piloting Enhanced RECONNECT in four areas to support people leaving prison who are identified as being of high risk of harm to the public and who have complex health needs to access appropriate community services.

NHS England is also piloting new models of care in the community for those with severe mental illness in six neighbourhood areas from this spring. These will provide people and their families with 24/7 support if they are in crisis without needing to book an appointment, as well as provide housing or employment advice to support them to stay well.