During an assessment under our new approach
HMP Deerbolt is a Category C men’s training prison operated by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). The prison is located near Barnard Castle, County Durham in the Northeast of England, and can accommodate around 500 prisoners.
Spectrum Community Health C.I.C. is the provider of healthcare services at HMP Deerbolt. 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.
At our previous joint inspection with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) in December 2024, we found the provider was in breach of 3 regulations:
• Regulation 12: Safe care and treatment
• Regulation 17: Good governance
• Regulation 18: Staffing
We issued the provider an Action Plan Request in relation to the above breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This required the provider to detail how they planned to meet the relevant legal requirements of these regulations.
The previous joint inspection report was published on the HMIP website on 24 March 2025. The joint inspection report can be found at: https://cloud-platform e218f50a4812967ba1215eaecede923f.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/sites/19/2025/03/Deerbolt-2025-web.pdf
On 13, 14, and 15 October 2025, we accompanied HMIP during their Independent Review of Progress (IRP) and carried out a focused inspection of healthcare services provided by Spectrum Community Health C.I.C. at HMP Deerbolt, to assess progress against the concerns previously identified.
During this inspection we looked at 3 quality statements. We found the provider had made some improvements. The provider was no longer in breach of Regulation 12, Safe care and treatment, or Regulation 18, Staffing. However, the provider remained in breach of Regulation 17, Good governance.
We found that processes around medicines had improved, and people were now receiving their medicines on time. Complaints were managed confidentially, in line with the provider’s policy and independent of the prison service. The provider worked well in partnership with the prison to improve access to healthcare. Staffing had also improved: agency staff were reintroduced to support rota gaps, a new shift pattern increased clinical time and improved skill mix, and zone working enhanced access for service users.
However, governance remained a concern. We were not assured by the progress made in clinical incident reporting and risk monitoring, particularly the analysis and use of this data to accurately inform service risks and track improvements.
We do not currently rate healthcare services provided in prisons. Instead, we highlight good practice, identify areas for improvement, and take regulatory action where necessary.