The Care Quality Commission
  • Prison healthcare

HMP Onley

Onley, Willoughby, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 8AP (01788) 523400

Provided and run by:
Practice Plus Group Health and Rehabilitation Services Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See old profile

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

HMP Onley is a Category C, male adult training and resettlement prison. The prison is located in Northamptonshire. The healthcare services are provided by Practice Plus Group (PPG).

We carried out a joint assessment with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) in May 2025, where we found the quality of primary healthcare and medicines required improvement. We issued an action plan request in relation to breaches of regulation found relating to safe care and treatment, and governance.

We accompanied HMIP on their independent review of progress (IRP) inspection in January 2026 to determine if the provider was now meeting the legal requirements of the relevant regulations. At this assessment, we assessed 5 quality statements across the safe, effective, responsive and well-led key questions. We found some improvements had been made but more work needed to be done.

At this assessment, we found 3 breaches of regulation. The provider remained in breach of the legal regulations in relation to regulation 12 safe care and treatment, and regulation 17 governance and we also identified a breach in regulation 18, staffing.

We do not currently rate services provided in prisons. We highlight good practice and issues that service providers need to improve and take regulatory action as necessary.

A new healthcare management team had recently been appointed, they had introduced some new processes which worked well, but more work was needed including improved oversight of the outcomes for patients. For example, audits were conducted but failed to identify concerns we found during our inspection because they did not include any qualitative review.

Staffing levels for mental health nurses and therapy staff frequently failed to meet expected standards, although following a recruitment drive, gaps in rotas were expected to decrease.

Improved triage processes worked well but there was little non-medical intervention available for patients who required support with their mental health. Patient care plans and risk assessments lacked necessary detail and discharges were not planned or documented well.

During an assessment under our new approach

We carried out a focused inspection of healthcare services provided by Practice Group Plus Health and Rehabilitation Services (PPG) at HMP Onley.

At our last CQC focused inspection in October 2023, we found that the quality of healthcare provided by PPG at this location required improvement. We issued Requirement Notices in relation to Regulation 12, Safe Care and Treatment.

The purpose of this focused assessment was to determine if the healthcare services provided by PPG were meeting the legal requirements of the relevant regulation.

At this assessment, we found that improvements had been made, and PPG was no longer in breach of regulation 12.

We do not currently rate services provided in prisons. We highlight good practice and issues that service providers need to improve and take regulatory action as necessary.

The assessment was carried out remotely by one Care Quality Commission inspector and one Care Quality Commission Medicines Optimisation inspector.

Before this assessment, we reviewed a range of information provided by PPG including the action plan associated with the Requirement Notice.

During the assessment, we looked at a range of records and spoke with a range of staff.

HMP Onley is a category C training and resettlement prison in rural Northamptonshire. The prison accommodates up to 742 adult male prisoners.

The provider is registered with the CQC to provide the following regulated activities at the location: Treatment of disease, disorder or injury and diagnostic and screening procedures.

The link for the Care Quality Commission focussed inspection was published on our website: https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-13454107727/inspection-summary

Our last comprehensive inspection was conducted jointly with HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) in June 2022 and published on the HMIP website: https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_reports/hmp-onley/

08 April 2024

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out a focussed announced inspection of healthcare services provided by Practice Plus Group Health and Rehabilitation Services (PPG) at HMP Onley. PPG took over the contract from the previous provider following a joint inspection of the service with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons inspection (HMIP) in June 2022. We undertook a focussed inspection on 31 October 2023 and found the quality of healthcare at this location required improvement. We issued Requirement Notices in relation to Regulation 12, Safe care and treatment and Regulation 17, Good governance to the previous provider.

The purpose of this inspection was to determine if the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and that prisoners were receiving safe care and treatment for the areas which were previously non-compliant.

At this inspection we found that some improvements had been made, however we found that improvements were required for the safe management of medicines and served a requirement notice.

We do not currently rate services provided in prisons. We highlight good practice and issues that service providers need to improve and take regulatory action as necessary.

At this inspection we found:

  • Staffing levels within the mental health team were safe and patients were being seen promptly and care plans were comprehensive.
  • Improvements had been made in some areas of medicines management, however, we found delays in the provision of medicines supplies to patients.
  • Medicines policies did not always reflect the practice at this location.

The provider must:

  • Ensure that patients receive medicines safely and in a timely way.
  • Ensure that medicines policies are updated and reflect the practice expected at this location.

31 October 2023

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out a focussed announced inspection of healthcare services provided by Practice Plus Group Health and Rehabilitation Services (PPG) at HMP Onley. PPG took over the contract from the previous provider following a joint His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons inspection (HMIP) of the service in June 2022. At the last inspection, we found the quality of healthcare provided by the previous provider at this location required improvement. We issued Requirement Notices in relation to Regulation 12, Safe care and treatment and Regulation 17, Good governance to the previous provider.

The purpose of this inspection was to determine if the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and that prisoners were receiving safe care and treatment.

At this inspection we found that some improvements had been made, however we found that improvements were required in other areas.

We do not currently rate services provided in prisons. We highlight good practice and issues that service providers need to improve and take regulatory action as necessary.

At this inspection we found:

  • Staffing levels within the mental health team were not sufficient to meet the demand in a timely manner.
  • There was a backlog of applications requiring triage by the mental health team, although action had been planned to address this.
  • Patients on the mental health team caseload did not always receive timely support, some patients received regular reviews and had a comprehensive care plan. Other patients had not been seen since their initial triage appointment and had no care plan in place.
  • Oversight of subcontracted providers was good, with regular meetings and monitoring of waiting times.
  • Improvements had been made in many areas of medicines management.
  • Medicines fridge temperatures were not always recorded each day. Action had not been taken to safeguard medicines where temperatures were out of the recommended range.

The provider must:

  • Ensure that staffing levels in the mental health team are increased so they can meet patient needs in a timely way.
  • Ensure that medicines are stored according to manufacturer’s guidance and action is taken to safeguard medicines supplies in line with the provider’s medicines policy.
  • Ensure that blood glucose monitoring equipment is managed appropriately.