Women in Scottish prisons with specialist mental health care needs are being sent hundreds of miles to Rampton high-security hospital in England – because there is no equivalent facility in Scotland.

A review commissioned by the Scottish Government called the practice “indefensible” and called for women to be admitted to the State Hospital in Carstairs, Scotland – which is currently all-male. The review’s author, Derek Barron, said this should happen within nine months of his report’s publication in February 2021.

However, the authorities at Carstairs say there is an “ongoing need” for transfers to Rampton, in Nottinghamshire, and have sent a report to the Scottish Government outlining their concerns over accepting women. Since 2008, when Carstairs stopped admitting women, seven have been sent to Rampton.

The Scottish social affairs publication 1919 Magazine quoted a whistle-blower at Carstairs saying: “The board at the hospital has submitted a paper to the Scottish Government to try and stop this from happening, mainly due to money and staffing resources.

“At the hospital we treat all sort of patients, long term or just transferred from prison for treatment if a prisoners mental health has dipped, but women in prison are being treated in situ instead of having that break from prison they need to treat their mental health if required. For the women who are sent to England, this takes them away from the support of their family and friends.”

Want to see more SNP fails? – Politics Matters