Updated 1 June 2018
HMP Birmingham is a category B local prison in the Winson Green area of Birmingham and accommodates up to 1,450 adult male prisoners. The prison is operated by G4S Custodial Services and is characterised by a very high throughput, with around 500 new prisoners each month and an average stay of only six weeks.
Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is subcontracted to provide primary health care and dental services at the prison. The trust is registered to provide the regulated activities, Diagnostic and screening and Treatment of disease, is order or injury.
CQC inspected healthcare services at the prison in partnership with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons in February 2017. We found Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was in breach of the regulations and we issued a Requirement Notices. We asked the provider to make improvements and we followed up on their progress during a focused inspection on 28 February 2018.
Before our inspection we reviewed a range of information that we held about the service. During the inspection we asked the provider to share with us a range of information which we reviewed. We spoke with healthcare staff, prison staff, people who use the service and sampled a range of records.
Evidence reviewed included:
- We spoke with commissioners from NHS England
- We spoke with operational prison staff and the prison director.
- Action plan from the trust dated 2017
- NHS England Health and Justice Clinical Quality Visit HMP Birmingham – 20 September 2018
- IPS Dental Audit dated, 17 August 2017 and 26 February 2018
- IPC Annual Audit dated, 26 February 2018
- Copies of cleaning schedules
Following our inspection the trust provided further evidence, including;
- Response from trust to CQC regarding concerns re 'Dental Waiting Times at HMP Winson Green'.
During this focused inspection, we found the provider had made improvements in previously identified areas of concern since the joint inspection in February 2017.
- Our key findings were as follows:
- Medicines were now transported in their original packaging, in a secure tamper-evident container and were appropriately labelled.
- All clutter had been removed from the decontamination area, including, stock items, PPE and equipment no longer in use.
- Dental equipment was clean and maintained appropriately
- Infection Prevention Society (IPS) infection control audits were completed on a regular basis.
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
- Nurses carrying medicines across the prison should not at the same time be expected to respond to requests for medical interventions.
- The trust should consider providing facilities for the storage of controlled drugs that are prescribed to patients located on the Care and Separation Unit (CSU).
- Nurses working in the Care and Separation Unit (CSU)should have access to facilities and practices that enable them to meet best practice guidance when administering medicines.