It is feared the move, designed to reduce costs, could leave young people at the institution without vital support.
Penelope Gibbs, director of the Out of Trouble programme at the Prison Reform Trust, said there is already an unmet need for young people in custody in terms of mental health provision.
"Cuts to healthcare are a little difficult to understand," she said. "It won’t help with the issue of assessing those who really shouldn’t be in custody at all and it won’t help with behaviour management within the YOI, suicide risks or reducing reoffending."
A spokeswoman for NHS North Lancashire said it had received confirmation of "intended realignment of the budget allocated for the commissioning of prison health services" at the YOI in January by the Ministry of Justice and Department of Health.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
