HMP Durham has once again been criticised over its use of restraints on ill prisoners after a double amputee with “severely limited mobility” was taken to hospital restrained.
A Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) report into the death of 73-year-old prisoner William Dawson found that the wheelchair user, who was a Category C prisoner and considered low risk, was taken to hospital in an escort cable cuffed to staff, just two months before he died from pancreatic cancer.
An investigator ruled that using the long metal cable, which has a cuff at either end, was “unjustified and not in line with the policy framework”. The report described the finding as “shocking”.
Policy framework used in prisons – The Prevention of Escape: External Escorts – says restraints should not routinely be used where mobility is severely limited, such as in the case of advanced age and disability.
However, when questioned over the decision the Head of Business Assurance at HMP Durham said the use of an escort cable was in the interests of decency, as well as the health and safety of staff.
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The PPO report also noted that an officer told an investigator that he had completed the medical section of the risk assessment using information from Dawson’s prison records. It did not note that Dawson was a double leg amputee and the officer could not recall if he had spoken to healthcare staff or if they had contributed to the risk assessment, the report added. The risk assessment noted no medical objections to restraints.
However, this is not the first time that HMP Durham has been warned about the use of restraints.
In September ChronicleLive reported that prisoner Simon Parkinson was restrained when he required hospital treatment, despite him having no coordination or movement in his right arm and leg. He remained restrained in hospital with a single cuff and escort chain for two days before they were removed, by which time his right side was paralysed and he was unable to speak or swallow, according to a report into his death.
The report concluded that the decision to restrain Parkinson was not justified.
In January 2023, a PPO report into the death of Jonathon Hogg at HMP Durham also found that the 53-year-old was restrained with handcuffs and an escort chain when he was taken to hospital, despite being unresponsive and “very unwell”. Investigators said they were concerned that healthcare staff at the prison noted on the escort risk assessment form that Hogg had no medical conditions that might affect his ability to escape, which was clearly inaccurate, the report said.
In the latest report concerning the death of Dawson, the PPO said the Governor and Head of Healthcare at HMP Durham should ensure that “all staff undertaking escort risk assessments understand the legal position on the use of restraints, that assessments fully take into account the current health, mobility and risk of a prisoner and that healthcare staff complete the medical sections accurately.”
The PPO report also said that the Governor of HMP Durham should “ensure that a quality assurance process is implemented to satisfy himself that restraints decisions are credible, and all necessary parties are consulted.”
A spokesperson for the Prison Service said that HMP Durham has implemented complex case meetings to discuss suitable cuffing arrangements for prisoners with serious or terminal illnesses and created a rolling list of prisoners with pre-planned cuffing arrangements.
It has also ensured healthcare staff are included in decisions about escort risk assessments for prisoners with sudden health deteriorations and reviewed past cuffing decisions to ensure they were appropriate and shared what was learned with senior staff.
The spokesperson added: “Prisoner William Dawson died of natural causes on 11 March 2024.
“HMP Durham has implemented all of the Ombudsman’s recommendations, improving its processes for the use of restraints in partnership with the prison’s healthcare provider.”
The full PPO report following William Dawson’s death can be found here.
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/hmp-durham-criticised-again-over-31101359
