Good practice has also been highlighted by the Western Australian Inspector of Custodial Services occurring at the Acacia Prison. In August 2021, Serco – the private operator of Acacia Prison – began offering fully subsidised hearing tests and hearing aids to prisoners with an identified hearing impairment. A private audiologist attends Acacia Prison monthly to undertake hearing tests for prisoners identified by nursing staff as having a suspected hearing impairment. If the screening identifies a clinical need for hearing aids, these are provided at no cost to the prisoner. As of July 2023, 27 prisoners had been fitted with aids under this scheme.173 IHMS advised the Commission that auditory testing was not available and required a referral to the public health system. RECOMMENDATION 15 The Department and IHMS should ensure that women in immigration detention have access to a female doctor at each facility where women are accommodated. Women in immigration detention should also be provided with access to female allied health staff wherever this is possible. RECOMMENDATION 16 As a priority, the Department and IHMS should liaise with state and territory corrective services and justice health agencies to improve strategies for ensuring the timely transfer of medical information to facilitate continuity of care for people entering immigration detention. RECOMMENDATION 17 When considering the transfer of an individual from one immigration detention facility to another, the Department should consider, on equal terms to other factors, the advice from IHMS that a transfer would impact on the waiting time for a treatment regime. RECOMMENDATION 18 The Department and IHMS should ensure that the process for auditory testing is initiated during the medical screening provided at induction and conducted within the first two weeks of detention. Issues and concerns impacting women across the detention network 41