Decision details

NHS England has approached Bristol City Council to pilot a program which will support people leaving HMP Bristol, and returning to live in Bristol. All of the men who will be engaged in this service, will have some kind of drug or alcohol dependency, and the support is to ensure that people are offered meaningful drug or alcohol treatment in the community. It will also ensure that these people are able to access a range of other healthcare and treatment services in the community.
We know from local evidence gathering that there is a high number of people who leave prison with very low levels of social support, and with a range of healthcare and social care needs. Many of these people are released without adequate onward support, which increases the risk of reoffending and for those who use drugs or alcohol there are additional risks, including the risk of overdose or other serious harm. This cohort are a priority focus both for the city and nationally. As such accepting the funding will allow us to better support this vulnerable group of people and reduce health and social harms in Bristol.
NHS England will provide £150,000 per year, over two years £300,000 in total to deliver the pilot.

To accept the funding offered by NHS England to deliver a Through the Gate Prison to Community Mentoring Pilot

The other option was to decline the funding. This was rejected as it was felt that this program was a priority area for Bristol and helps the city meet it’s ambitions in the 2021 -2025 Bristol Drug and Alcohol Strategy.