21, 22 July 2014
During a themed inspection looking at Offender Healthcare
We spoke with 24 people who had used the healthcare service and asked if they were happy with the service they had received. One person said, "I think the service is excellent." Another person told us, "I have had a few issues, but on the whole it is a good service." We were also told, "You can get an appointment quickly, they'll do all they can to help you."
We looked at the waiting times for the different clinics and services that were being offered. We saw that the waiting times were acceptable and equivalent to or better than the waiting times experienced in the community.
Where the healthcare staff received sufficient notice of a person's release from the prison, appropriate arrangements were in place to plan for their medical discharge. The system in place to share information with the substance misuse service provider about prescribed medication was not sufficiently robust. However, a workaround system was in place that enabled information to be shared about what medication was prescribed to different people.
The staff we spoke with told us that they felt well supported. However systems were not in place to ensure that staff had received regular management supervision and appraisal. Not all staff were fully up to date with the training that was considered to be mandatory by the provider.
The system in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service was not fully effective.