What measures are in place to ensure that prisoners receive adequate access to healthcare, in light of the April 2025 Scottish Centre for C…

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that those living in prison have access to healthcare that is, as a minimum, equitable to that offered in the community.Within 24-hours of entering a prison establishment, all individuals have a face-to-face consultation with an NHS healthcare professional to assess their physical and mental health needs, including any addictions. This nationally agreed process helps identify healthcare and medication requirements, and other vulnerabilities. Healthcare plans are then put in place accordingly.All individuals living in prison can access healthcare appointments with the prison healthcare team via a simple internal self-referral process. Scottish Prison Service staff can also refer individuals for healthcare appointments, where needed.We are taking forward a range of work to improve access to healthcare. The National Prison Care Network has developed a Target Operating Model for prison healthcare, which aims to ensure nationally consistent healthcare delivery in all prison establishments