Diabetes care in prisons

All people with diabetes should receive high quality care, no matter where they live. People with diabetes in prisons can find it difficult to manage their diabetes due to a lack of specialist healthcare professional input, care planning and case management, and self-monitoring facilities.

Use the following resources to improve care for people with diabetes in prison settings. 

Essential reading

• Diabetes behind bars: considerations for managing diabetes within the prison setting and after release, Diabetes and Primary Care website (2015) (free, login required)

  This article explores the challenges presented, and opportunities offered, by diabetes care in the prison setting. It also describes factors to consider for people returning to the community after release.

• Diabetes management within the prison setting, Journal of Diabetes Nursing website (2014) (free, login required)

  This article describes the challenges of treating diabetes in prison inmates, a particularly vulnerable and hard to reach group.

• A captive audience: tackling diabetes and obesity in the prison setting, Diabesity in Practice website (2013) (free, login required)

  This article suggests ways to improve care in prisons and argues that it is worth investing in obesity prevention in prisons by providing a healthy diet and facilitating access to regular exercise. It also emphasises the importance of carrying out standardised dietary assessments for every person who is admitted to prison.

Shared practice examples

• Diabetes service redesign in Wakefield HM high-security prison, Diabetes and Primary Care website (2012) (free, login required)

  This article presents how the specialist diabetes team in Wakefield provided in-reach clinics for offenders in HM prison Wakefield. This included regular visits to the prison by a consultant diabetologist and DSN, ward rounds for inpatients on the prison hospital wing and training for prison staff.

• A nurse-led diabetes clinic in a prison setting, Journal of Diabetes Nursing website (2009), (free, login required)

  This article reflects on the diabetes care provided at HM Prison Manchester and outlines plans for service improvement.