1743. Hon Alison Xamon to the minister representing the Minister for Corrective Services:
I refer to the delivery of health, mental health and alcohol and other drug services to prisoners, and I ask:
(a) has the Department of Corrective Services undertaken any work, or requested any other department or organisation to undertake any work, to complete a health needs assessment for the Western Australia prison population;
(b) if yes to (a), would the Minister please table the assessment report; and
(c) if no to (a), is this work planned, and is so, for when?
Hon Stephen Dawson replied:
(a) The Department participates in the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) survey of the Health of Australia’s Prisoners. The latest report relates to data collected in 2015 and is available at the AIHW website. The website provides access to data by jurisdiction. The information contained in the report provides a useful snapshot of the health and health related issues of the prison population. The latest data collection occurred in 2018. It is understood that the Report has not yet been completed by the AIHW. In addition, the Department regularly conducts its own data reviews, particularly in relation to key health conditions, to inform service development and treatment planning. This information, whilst systemic, is not compiled into a single whole of service document, but is used to assist with identification of need at each site, areas for service development and the associated allocation of resources.
(b) Yes. [See tabled paper no 2293 - Hon Alison Xamon — QON No. 1743 — The Health of Australia's Prisoners 2015]
(c) During 2018, the Department contributed to the latest AIHW data collection. The next AIHW Report on the Health of Australia’s prisoners will enable interjurisdictional comparison between 2015 and 2018 and the Department intends to supplement this with trend analysis of its own, particularly in relation to chronic health conditions, mental health and alcohol and other drug problems. It is anticipated that this comparative analysis will be available early to mid-2019.