Committee publication · Correspondence · 14 January 2026 · HC 702
Letter to and from Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, on Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation in Wales, dated 8 & 30 December 2020
From: Welsh Affairs Committee
Summary
Correspondence between Welsh Affairs Committee Chair Ruth Jones and Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board Chief Executive Paul Mears regarding healthcare provision in Welsh prisons. The committee sought clarification on health needs assessments, benchmarking data, and cross-border health information sharing processes as part of its inquiry into prisons, probation and rehabilitation in Wales.
Key findings
- Most recent Health and Social Care Needs Assessment for HMP/YOI Parc published October 2024, identifying high and complex health needs across mental health, neurodiversity, and substance misuse with significant resource pressures in primary care, dentistry, and pharmacy services.
- Prison population health needs substantially exceed community comparator cohorts: elevated rates of chronic disease, mental illness, neurodiversity, disability, homelessness, and substance misuse, with particular severity in adult population.
- Of 40 HNA recommendations, 38 completed and 2 partially complete as of Q3 2025, with monthly monitoring by HMPPS and G4S and reporting to Prison Assurance Board.
- Cross-border health data sharing from England remains manual and administratively burdensome; records requested via email to English GP practices, though some practices using SystmOne transfer records automatically.
- Benchmarking against comparator prisons challenging due to HMP/YOI Parc's unique integration of Category B adult estate, vulnerable prisoner unit, and Youth Offender Institution; comparison undertaken against HMP Berwyn, HMP/YOI Elmley, HMP/YOI Forest Bank, and HMP Bullingdon.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Ruth Jones MP, Paul Mears, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, HMPPS, G4S, Royal College of Psychiatrists Wales, HMP/YOI Parc
Notable line
“… the health needs of the prison population—both adults and young people—are significantly higher, more complex, and more concentrated than those observed in comparable cohorts in the community.”
Key Quotes
“Given our shared interest in keeping prisoners in Wales healthy, and as the Chief Executive of your Health Board, I would be grateful if you could address the below queries”
“The most recent Health and Social Care Needs Assessment (HNA) for the provision of healthcare within HMP/YOI Parc was commissioned and published in October”
“Mental health provision in the adult estate was identified as notably inadequate, with limited access to psychology and psychiatry despite high levels of depression, anxiety, psychosis, and trauma.”
“Among the adult population, levels of chronic disease, mental illness, neurodiversity, disability, frailty, homelessness and substance misuse were markedly above community baselines.”
“For individuals arriving from England, we are unable to retrieve medical information through the Wales Clinical Portal (WCP), as English-registered patients do not have data accessible within this system.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗