Standards for health services in Australian prisons

Update to the Standards for health services in Australian prisons

The RACGP is currently in the process of updating the Standards for health services in Australian prisons (Prison Standards). The Prison Standards are written principally for the multidisciplinary teams of health professionals who provide care to people in Australian prisons.

The Prison Standards aim to address the quality and safety of the healthcare provided to people in Australian prisons.

Given that people in custody in Australia come from some of the more vulnerable population groups, and have high levels of morbidity, health services within prisons provide healthcare in a unique and challenging environment.

The Prison Health Service module (PHS module) within these standards provide setting specific Indicators that the health service needs to meet. These, along with the Core and QI modules, form, in essence, the same standards that apply to, and are expected of, general practice’s in the Australian community.

The RACGP will release the next draft of the Prison Standards for further stakeholder consultation this year. This will give stakeholders an opportunity to see how feedback received throughout 2020 was incorporated and provide further comments.

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Achieving better health outcomes for people in custody

People incarcerated in Australian prisons or detained in custody often face complex problems with their health and wellbeing.

The RACGP Standards for health services in Australian prisons are designed to support general practitioners working to achieve better health outcomes for people in custody.