• Prison healthcare

HMP High Down

Highdown, Highdown Lane, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5PJ (020) 3214 5877

Provided and run by:
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

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

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Background to this inspection

Updated 14 February 2023

HMP High Down is a category C training prison near Banstead in Surrey and holds approximately 1,150 convicted and remanded men. The prison is operated by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) is the health provider at HMP High Down. The trust is registered to provide the following regulated activities at the location: Treatment of disease, disorder or injury and Diagnostic and screening procedures.

Our last CQC focused inspection was in May 2022 and was published on our website in July 2022 when we found not all fundamental standards were being met in relation to Regulation 17: Good governance. The inspection report can be found at:

https://api.cqc.org.uk/public/v1/reports/3f701f59-4d97-4819-a106-bd01ebf1d669?20220728070105

Overall inspection

Updated 14 February 2023

We carried out an announced follow up inspection of healthcare services provided by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) at HMP High Down on 8 December 2022. This was in response to a focused inspection carried out in May 2022 when we found the quality of care needed improvement. We issued a Requirement Notice in relation to Regulation 17: Good governance. Systems and processes did not always ensure the maintenance and quality of care. Guidance was not always followed to ensure the effective management of patients with long-term health conditions.

The purpose of this focused inspection was to determine if the healthcare services provided by CNWL were now meeting the legal requirements of the above regulation, under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

At this inspection we found the required improvements had been made and the provider was meeting the regulations. The requirement notice was lifted.

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:

  • Systems were effective in ensuring the management of patients with long-term health conditions in line with guidance.
  • Officer supervision of medicines administration was under continuous review with the prison to reduce the risk of error and diversion.
  • There was effective management of the deteriorating patient.
  • Staff received supervision in line with the provider’s policy.