NHS Lothian to provide job placements for prisoners

"HEALTH bosses have announced convicted offenders are to be given job placements in NHS Lothian under a new rehabilitation scheme. "

"The project, described as `groundbreaking`, will see specially selected offenders, who are about to be released back into the community, working in the health service to prepare for future employment."

"It is not clear where they will be working or whether they will have access to patients."

"Alan Boyter, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, NHS Lothian, insisted patient safety would not be compromised by the scheme and those people selected will be risk assessed before the placement begins."

Read more: http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/health/prisoners-to-be-given-hospital-job-placements-in-edinburgh-1-4073931#ixzz436iRLAFI

So not for junkies, Jimmy Saviles or Shipmans then ?

OK, that`s facetious, but it was my first thought. I mean, who`s not for rehabilitating prisoners, but if you are going to set that up, why choose a scheme like this?

Digging a little deeper I found this:

"Cleaners, catering staff and porters have been told about a planned prisoner work-placement scheme in the last few days – with many angry over a lack of consultation."

"It is understood that the Western General Hospital will be used as a pilot site for the scheme, which aims to reduce reoffending."

"No firm start dates have yet been decided as NHS Lothian and the Scottish Prison Service thrash out the finer details to ensure patient, staff and public safety."

"If successful, the initiative, which will be open to offenders nearing the end of their sentence, could then be wheeled out across Scotland."

"But staff have lodged concerns over who will be responsible for offenders on the wards, and how convicts will pass the stringent Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks faced by all hospital workers."

"And patients groups fear members of the public would be left feeling anxious about convicted criminals being given `access to wards and their personal belongings`."

Read more: http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/health/convicts-to-work-on-western-general-hospital-wards-1-3680765#ixzz436k3jVdp

The plan is to wheel this scheme out across Scotland.

Ah ! Now I get it.

"With the commissioning of the 700-bed Addiewell prison, announced in June 2006, Scotland will have 1400 prisoners in private prisons. Assuming the prison population is not much higher than it is today and there have been no significant changes in the figures of other countries, Scotland will then have 20% of its prisoners in private prisons, the highest percentage of any country in the world."  

http://www.scccj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Prison-Privatisation-in-Scotland.pdf

Is this figure intended to grow?  Most likely since TTIP is on its way.

And it looks like the private companies want a piece of the NHS budget.