We asked the provider to take action to address these concerns. They wrote to us informing us that the additional services, necessary to achieve equivalence with those available to the public, were not currently included in the contractual arrangements between the provider and NHS England.
Prisoners felt that individual healthcare staff treated them with respect. Comments we heard from prisoners in the in-patient unit included,' It is quite private and I get looked after alright ' I have a call bell and they do come if I need them' and '(healthcare staff) talk to me daily'. They felt that treatment was as confidential as it could be within the prison environment.
Generally prisoners we spoke with were happy with care they received from the healthcare staff. 'The level of care is good here', I get looked after reasonably well' and 'there is no bullying here (in-patient unit)' were comments made to us. Some prisoners were less happy with their care, several prisoners told us of the difficulty they had getting their medicines consistently and at that right time. However the prisoners did not have access to physical health interventions such as clinics to address long term chronic conditions, nor did prisoners with mental health conditions have access to services such as counsellors or group therapy.
The provider worked well in cooperation with others to ensure prisoners received safe and coordinated services. Staff were trained and supported to deliver the service and meet prisoners needs. There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of care.