‘Significant update’ of RACGP Prison Standards

The RACGP Prison Standards have been updated for the first time since they were launched more than a decade ago, with an increased focus on culturally safe care.
 
Dr Tim Senior, Prison Standards Working Group Chair, said the update involved experts in custodial health settings and standards, and includes ‘extensive’ feedback from external organisations.
 
‘The second edition of the RACGP Prison Standards is a significant update of the first edition, which was published in 2011,’ he told newsGP.
 
Dr Senior says the standards’ accessibility has evolved since the initial launch.
 
‘The second edition Prisons Standards are designed to be easier to use, in being focused on outcomes rather than processes, and being closely aligned with the Standards for General Practices (5th edition) in their structure and language,’ he stated.
 
‘So the Prison Standards will be familiar to all those using them, and be much easier to read and implement than the first edition.
 
The Standards’ authors state that the emphasis on outcomes means health services can develop systems that reflect their different ways of working.
 
‘Focusing on outcomes will give your health service greater ownership of your practices and systems, making your team members more likely to follow them not only during accreditation, but continuously,’ they wrote.
 
They also raised the ‘unique’ challenges of custodial healthcare.
 
‘People in prison are one of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in Australia,’ the Standards state.
 
‘Compared with the general population, a large proportion of the prison population has experienced homelessness and periods of long-term unemployment.
 
‘Many of those who end up in prison are also likely to be or have been victims of sexual and/or domestic abuse and violence.’
 
The experts behind the Standards say the long-term health needs of many prisoners are complex, often involving a combination of mental health issues, trauma, alcohol and substance misuse, chronic health conditions and disability.
 
‘Consequently, people in prison have poorer health outcomes than the general Australian population, which further entrenches existing social and health inequalities,’ the authors wrote.
 
The Standards also suggest prison ‘affords health professionals the opportunity to provide whole-person care to those disadvantaged groups that are typically harder to reach’.
 
Authors describe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as ‘markedly overrepresented’ in prisons, comprising around 30% of those in custody despite only forming around 3.3% of the population overall.
 
It is an issue that Dr Senior also references.
 
‘In the light of the continuing high rates of deaths in custody of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, we have a particular focus on culturally safe care in the prison setting, and hope that the Prison Standards enhance the quality and safety of healthcare provided in prisons, contributing to the prevention of further deaths in custody,’ he said.
 
The Prison Standards were developed by the RACGP Working Group – Standards for health services in Australian prisons alongside the RACGP Expert Committee – Standards for General Practices.
 
They are aimed at state and territory governments and the organisations they contract, as well as prison staff employers and health professionals providing prison health services.
 
It is the first update of the prison standards since their launch, with a consultation process for the update running last year.
 
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