4.6 Article

NHS Health Check Programme: a qualitative study of prison experience

Journal

JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Volume 44, Issue 1, Pages 174-183

Publisher

OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdaa189

Keywords

cardiovascular; inequality; prevention; prisoners

Funding

  1. NIHR CLAHRC East Midlands
  2. National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN)
  3. Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Research Delivery Team
  4. Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust Research Delivery Team

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The uptake of NHS Health Checks in prison settings is limited due to poor accessibility to healthcare departments, stigma, and fear. Participants generally lack awareness and have common misconceptions regarding the health check program. Ways to increase uptake include group-based approaches and improved healthcare accessibility.
Background NHS Health Checks began in England in 2009 and were subsequently introduced into English prisons. Uptake has been patchy and there is limited understanding about factors that may limit or enhance uptake in prison settings. Uptake of this programme is a key policy in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and death in these settings. Method Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with groups of prisoners (attendees and non-attendees to the health check), prison healthcare staff, custodial staff and ex-prisoners (n = 50). Participants were asked about their awareness and experiences of the NHS Health Check Programme in prison. Results All groups highlighted barriers for not attending a health check appointment, such as poor accessibility to the healthcare department, stigma and fear. The majority of participants expressed a lack of awareness and discussed common misconceptions regarding the health check programme. Methods of increasing the uptake of health checks through group-based approaches and accessibility to healthcare were suggested. Conclusions This study reports on prisoner, staff and ex-prisoner perspectives on the implementation of NHS Health Checks within a restrictive prison environment. These findings have potentially substantial implications for successful delivery of care within offender healthcare services.

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