The Care Quality Commission
  • Prison healthcare

Archived: HMP YOI Low Newton

HMP/YOI Low Newton, Brasside, Durham, County Durham, DH1 5YA

Provided and run by:
Practice Plus Group Hospitals Limited

Important: This service was previously managed by a different provider - see old profile

All Inspections

During an inspection looking at part of the service

At the last inspection of HMP/YOI Low Newton we had some concerns about how Care UK Clinical Services overall processes worked. We checked the effectiveness of this during the inspection of HMP/YOI Northumberland. We, HMIP and Ofsted inspectors held focus groups, met people in the healthcare centre and whilst walking through the prison. None of the people's feedback related to the standards we checked in this follow-up inspection.

1 November 2011

During a routine inspection

We joined Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) on their planned visit to HMP/YOI Low Newton and so both gathered people's feedback. We, HMIP and Ofsted inspectors held discussions with the women in focus groups, the healthcare centre and whilst walking through the prison. We found that overall people were happy with the services Care UK Clinical services provided. Collectively we spoke with over fifty people using the service and we were told that the staff in the healthcare unit were 'Salt of the earth', 'A good set of people' and they were 'Very helpful and kind'. Although people were satisfied with the general healthcare services they felt the waiting area was awful. People said they could easily get an appointment with the medical practitioner, specialist services such as consultant gynaecologists, blood borne virus healthcare professionals and community midwives. At times though they found the telephone appointment system (PALS) was not answered as promptly as they wanted.

People said the Care UK Clinical Services staff were very approachable and supportive. The people using the in-patient care unit were positive about how these staff interacted with them and cared for their needs. People told us how in times of distress these staff had visited their cells to make sure they were fine and were very helpful. People also told us that when they first came into prison the staff had checked them over and provided them with a good range of information about the healthcare services in the prison. They felt these staff were sensitive and really put them at ease.

A large number of the people mentioned that they found it problematic that their prescribed sleeping tablets had to be administered at 6.30 pm, which led to them being awake again at midnight. They said this happened because of the prison rules. Others mentioned that there had been some drug errors. When we explored this they related to the doctor discontinuing people's sleeping tablets and that after two days of receiving homely medications they were asked to see the GP. Others said they had heard that people had been given the wrong amounts of methadone medication. Also they mentioned the there was a much higher level of scrutiny given to checking that people had taken their methadone, which they felt led to their dignity being compromised. People, however, also said that when they had raised a compliant about these matters with the healthcare unit this had been dealt with properly.

The people using the addiction service were positive about how the nursing staff cared for them. They felt these staff went the extra mile to make sure they were supported to undergo a detox. However, most of the people commented negatively about the medical practitioners contracted to provide methadone prescriptions. They had found that the doctor would not at times prescribe medication even when they had been on methadone programme in the community. People said this had left them experiencing marked withdrawal symptoms but added that the actual nursing staff had acted as their advocate with the doctor and made sure they got their scripts as quickly as possible.