The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has developed the RACGP Standards for health services in Australian prisons, as a framework that general practitioners and other health professionals working in prisons can use to deliver safe and high quality healthcare.
The new standards are based on the RACGP Standards for general practices (3 rd edition) and were developed by the RACGP National Standing Committee - Standards for General Practices in consultation with GPs from the RACGP Network for Custodial Health and relevant state and territory jurisdictions.
Dr Lynton Hudson, Chair RACGP National Standing Committee -Standards for General Practices, said that while access to healthcare is a human right, the prison environment presents some significant challenges for the delivery of high quality primary healthcare.
"The National Standard Guidelines for Corrections in Australia, developed by the state and territory jurisdictions, stipulate that each prisoner is to have access to evidence-based health services, provided by a registered and competent health professional, providing a standard of care comparable to that which they would receive in the general community. This requirement poses a number of challenges for health professionals," Dr Hudson said.
"The RACGP Standards for health services in Australian prisons are specifically designed to support GPs who are trying to achieve better health outcomes for people incarcerated in Australian prisons or detained in custody.
Dr Cameron Loy, a member of the RACGP's Custodial Health Network and a GP who works in custodial settings said that the closed environment of prisons represents a challenge for GPs, requiring them to consider issues absent in other healthcare settings.
"Health professionals often need to consider issues unique to custodial settings when making clinical decisions - even seeking an x-ray can be a complicated logistical task. Health professionals also have a heightened awareness of patients' right to autonomy and confidentiality.
"The patient population in prisons is generally characterised by complex clinical needs, often with an overlay of alcohol and drug use, mental health problems and personality disorders. Health professionals do deliver good health outcomes with careful understanding of the pressures in delivering care in prisons and the various drivers behind patient presentations," he said.
Dr Hudson said the standards would help GPs working in custodial health to meet the specific needs of this specialised area of primary healthcare.
"The College is pleased to be able to offer further support to GPs and other health professionals working in this area through the development of the standards," he concluded.
Source:
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners