26 April 2012

Sinn Féin MLA Visits Hydebank

Sinn Féin MLA Sue Ramsey along with the Assembly’s Health Committee visited Hydebank Young Offenders Centre yesterday to look at health issues facing prisoners.

The West Belfast Sinn Féin MLA who is also chair of the Health Committee said: "Healthcare staff that work at the prison recently transferred as employees of the Prison Service to become employees of the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust and we were there to see how the switchover has been working.

"The Regulation & Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) report into Hydebank, following an inspection last year, made 113 recommendations so we need to see are these being acted upon.

"Among these was a need for improvements in governance arrangements between the Prison Service and the South Eastern Trust plus recommendations for a suicide and self-harm policy along with counselling services to be made available for prisoners.

"While there have been some improvements the sooner the recommendations are implemented in full the better for both the prisoners and the staff."

(CD/GK)