Prison inspectors have warned that the crisis of people with severe mental health problems stuck in prison is getting worse.
In 2024, a study by HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) looked at transfers from prison to secure hospitals. Fewer than 15 per cent of prisoners in need of specialist help moved within the required 28 days, it found.
In an update in April 2026, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said the position had not improved. Instead, it had deteriorated since 2024.
Two HMIP inspectors described their experiences and concerns in a blog for the inspectorate. Kellie Reeve is the lead inspector for court custody facilities. Shaun Thomson is a health and social care inspector and a mental health nurse.
Mr Thomson said everyone knows about the problem and agrees it is unacceptable. Yet nobody, he said, seems to be trying to put it right.
Ms Reeve said the situation causes severe harm to the health and wellbeing of the prisoners affected. It also puts at risk the safety of staff, who must deal with difficult and traumatic incidents.
Mr Thomson added that prison staff face many competing pressures. As a result, general security and management issues too often override the needs of people who belong in hospital.
According to Ms Reeve, the problems begin at the very start of a person’s time in custody, in the courts.
The inspectors blamed a shortage of places in secure mental health units and in the community. They stressed that the Prison Service and its officers do not lack the will to act.
The Mental Health Act 2025 will bring in a statutory 28-day limit for transfers. However, the inspectors fear that any change remains a long way off. The limit will not take effect for another 18 to 24 months.
Both inspectors called for urgent improvement and for more provision outside prison. They said HMIP will continue to “shine a light on the problem and demand better treatment for these particularly vulnerable prisoners”.
