Prison - no place for older people.

Prisons and probation ombudsman Nigel Newcomen has called for a national strategy to address the healthcare needs of older people in prison. His report should be welcomed - it focuses attention on a group of people who are all too easily overlooked in our society. The bad news is, the report is a depressing read. Prisons designed for young men are struggling to cope with people in their seventies and eighties who may have dementia or need palliative care.