Following a Feasbility Study undertaken in 2007, Ministers approved the transfer of responsibility for prisoner healthcare from the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to the National Health Service (NHS). A National Programme Board for Prisoners' Healthcare was established in early 2009 and is responsible for overseeing and steering the preparatory work and eventual operational transfer. The early priorities for the Programme Board will be to define the service models of care such as GP, Pharmacy, Nursing, Optometry and Dental Services and from this, identify the detail of the underpinning legislative changes necessary.
A Project Team was appointed in summer 2009 to support the work of the Programme Board. It currently comprises a Programme Manager, a Project Manager and an Administrator. This team has spent the first few months gathering information and developing workstream plans for presentation at October's Programme Board meeting.