Correctional Healthcare Research Barriers and Solutions Study v1

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  What are the barriers to healthcare research delivery in correctional facilities, and what potential solutions can be identified to address them?

• IRAS ID

  363379

• Contact name

  Olajide Popoola

• Contact email

  olajide.popoola@nhs.net

• Sponsor organisation

  NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 4 months, 0 days

• Research summary

  Why is this study happening?
  People in prisons, young offenders’ institutions and detention centres often have worse health than others and don’t always benefit from healthcare research. This means they may miss out on better care. We want to understand why it is hard to do research in these places and how we can make it easier. This will help improve health services for people living and working in these settings.

  What the study will do:
  We will speak to a mix of people across England, including:
  • Healthcare workers
  • Prison staff and managers
  • Researchers
  • Community advocates
  • People who have been in prison or detention

  We will invite 20–30 people to take part in either:
  • A one-off online workshop (about 90 minutes), or
  • A one-to-one interview (about 45 minutes)
  They will be asked to share their thoughts on what makes research difficult in prisons, what helps and how things could be improved. Everything shared will be kept anonymous.

  Who is running and funding the study?
  The study is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration for the East of England. It is also supported by the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board.

  What will happen with the results?
  The findings will be shared with decision-makers, healthcare leaders and campaigners to help push for changes. The goal is to enable people living and working in prison to take part in research in order to improve prison healthcare.
  

• REC name

  East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  25/EE/0260

• Date of REC Opinion

  4 Feb 2026

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion