Prison mental health underfunded

Prison mental health services in England face a postcode lottery in funding and receive only a third of the money they need, according to a report from the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health.

Funding is twice as high in London, Yorkshire and the North East as in either the East Midlands or the South West, the report says.

Prison inreach teams receive £300 in funding for every prisoner in England, about a third of what they need to offer the same level of service as community mental health services, states the report.

Peter Atkinson, Unison mental health representative and vice- chairperson of the national nursing committee, said: 'This is always flagged up as an issue. It has not been given the priority it should have.' 

A King's Fund report, also published last week, predicts the cost of providing mental healthcare is set to soar from £22.5bn last year to £47bn in 20 years' time, largely due to a rise in people with dementia.