Resources for Secure Environments

Immunisation and Infection

Public Health England has published resources on immunisation and infectious diseases. People come into secure settings from the community and return from them to the community therefore advice for community settings is pertinent to people in prison. However, there are particular challenges posed by secure environments and therefore specific resources have been written to track, treat and prevent single infections and outbreaks in prisons, secure settings and health services.

Immunisation

• Immunisation against infectious disease – The Green Book
  
• COVID-19: the green book, Chapter 14a. Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination information for public health professionals 
• COVID-19 vaccination programme
• Vaccine Update - newsletter for health professionals providing latest updates on vaccine development, policies and procedures

Infection

• Public health in prisons and secure settings - Resources to track, treat and prevent single infections and outbreaks in prisons, secure settings and health services.
• Infection control in prisons and secure settings
• Prevention and Management of Infections in Secure Settings
  • Prevention of infection & communicable disease control in prisons & places of detention. A manual for healthcare workers and other staff (2011)  This document for healthcare staff and others working in prisons and places of detention provides advice on: specific infections and dealing with outbreaks; immunisation and vaccination; infection prevention and control within custodial settings. It is designed to be used alongside PSO/PSIs and DH and HPA guidance and to complement local Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) procedures.
  • Multi-agency contingency plan for the management of outbreaks of communicable diseases or other health protection incidents in prisons and other places of detention in England (2013, 2017) - joint HMPPS/NHS/PHE guidance; describes actions required to identify and manage an incident or outbreak and the roles and responsibilities of partner organisations involved.
• COVID-19
  • Preventing and controlling outbreaks of COVID-19 in prisons and places of detention
• Tuberculosis
  • Managing tuberculosis (TB) in prisons (2013) – guidance for healthcare teams covering: TB screening in prisons, handling symptomatic patients, isolation (including recommendations re-court), treating TB and reporting cases.
  • TB: Information for prison staff (2013) – leaflet about TB and handling infected prison residents
  • Tuberculosis in prisons or immigration removal centres: NICE pathway (updated 2020)
  • NICE pathway linked to the NICE guideline Tuberculosis NG33 (2019)
•  Group A Streptococcal Disease and other bacterial infections
  • Group A streptococcal disease (2019) – information for people in prison
  • Preventing and Managing bacterial wound infections in prison (2019)– guidance for healthcare and residential staff and responding agencies on managing and preventing the spread of group A streptococcal (GAS) infection and other skin and soft tissue infections 
• Influenza
  • Flu in the children and young people’s secure estate
    
  • Flu in prisons and secure settings: information for staff
• Other Viral Infections
  • Guidance on Infection Control for Chickenpox and Shingles in Prisons, Immigration Removal Centres and other Prescribed Places of Detention (2017) – guidance on managing outbreaks of chickenpox or shingles for healthcare and other staff working in secure settings. 
  • Measles in prison: vaccination and infection control - information for staff (2013) 
  • Measles in prison: vaccination and infection control - information for prison residents (2013)
• Reporting single incidents and outbreaks
  • List of reportable diseases to be notified to PHE Health Protection Teams by prison and other detention centre healthcare teams (updated 2020) - This guidance contains information about the importance of infectious disease surveillance in secure settings and a list of reportable diseases.
• Managing potential exposure to blood-borne viruses
  • Guidance on management of potential exposure to BBVs in emergency workers - This resource contains information and guidance for frontline staff and service providers on BBV prevention and control, providing a generalised care pathway of management and action for cases of potential exposure which includes: first aid, risk assessment, management and follow up care.
  • Improving testing and treatment rates for bloodborne viruses - Public Health England, the Hepatitis C Trust, British Liver Trust and National AIDS Trust recommend an ‘opt- out’ testing programme in prisons to improve the rates at which people in prison are tested for blood-borne viruses (BBVs).

• PHE resources on ‘opt out’ testing for BBVs

• BBV Testing in prisons: National algorithms for healthcare staff
• BBV Testing in prisons: Guidance notes for healthcare staff 
• BBV Testing: Flashcard prompt for healthcare staff
• BBV in prisons: Educational resources for healthcare staff

• Other Public Health England Resources for secure settings and Contact details for PHE Specialist Leads:
  • Prison and secure settings health services
  • Health needs assessment toolkits
  • Preventing offending and re-offending
  • Five nations health and justice collaboration