Updated 12 June 2018
HMP Birmingham is a category B local prison in the Winson Green area of Birmingham and accommodates up to 1,450 adult male prisoners. The prison is operated by G4S Custodial Services and is characterised by a very high throughput, with around 500 new prisoners each month and an average stay of only six weeks.
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust are the lead healthcare provider at the prison and are registered to provide the regulated activities, Diagnostic and screening and Treatment of disease, disorder or injury. The trust subcontracts healthcare services and dental services to another registered provider.
CQC inspected healthcare services at the prison in partnership with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons in February 2017. We found Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust was in breach of the regulations and we issued a Requirement Notice. We asked the provider to make improvements and we followed up on their progress during a focused inspection on 28 February 2018.
During this focused inspection, we found the provider had made improvements in previously identified areas of concern since the joint inspection in February 2017.
Our key findings were as follows:
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Since our last inspection we found the provider had taken sufficient measures to ensure that appropriate levels of observations were completed for prisoners undergoing withdrawal from substances and/or alcohol during the first five days in prison.
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
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The provider s hould continue to work with partners to address ongoing issues with regard to waiting times for well man clinics and dental treatment.
Before our inspection we reviewed a range of information that we held about the service. During the inspection we asked the provider to share with us a range of information which we reviewed. We spoke with healthcare staff, prison staff, people who use the service and sampled a range of records.
Evidence reviewed included:
- We spoke with commissioners from NHS England
- We spoke with operational prison staff and the prison director.
- NHS England Health and Justice Clinical Quality Visit HMP Birmingham – 20 September 2018
Following our inspection the trust provided further evidence, including;
- Action Plan to Address Concerns regarding Wellman
- Incidents reported at HMP Birmingham that capture when the well-man clinic was not facilitated
- Risk assessment for carrying medicines
- Information on the use of security seals
- Primary Care – Transportation of Controlled Drugs between wings.
- Draft procedure for controlled drugs procedure