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Drugs: Prisons

Question for Department of Health and Social Care

UIN 43940, tabled on 3 April 2025

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to topical medication for prisoners.

This answer is the replacement for a previous holding answer.

Answered on

16 April 2025

People in prison are entitled to the same range and quality of health services as they would receive in the community.

NHS England commissions healthcare services across the prison estate, ensuring that healthcare providers can prescribe all medications available to patients in community settings. As a result, topical medications that are prescribable on an NHS prescription are also available for individuals within the prison estate.

Named day
Named day questions only occur in the House of Commons. The MP tabling the question specifies the date on which they should receive an answer. MPs may not table more than five named day questions on a single day.