Prisoner's care at HMP The Verne not at expected level
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) found Stephens contracted Covid-19 in February 2021 and was admitted to hospital. On his return to prison, he received supplementary oxygen for 15 hours a day.On being admitted to hospital again in April 2021, a consultant told prison staff Stephens was "severely frail" and was in "the last few months of his life". He was discharged in May and died in prison 23 days later.The PPO found that staff "should have pursued a move to a more suitable location" than his prison dormitory before his health "deteriorated to such an extent that he was too ill and frail to be moved".It also found that communication between prison and health staff was "at times poor" and that his needs would have been better met in a prison with 24-hour healthcare.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: "We have made significant improvements at HMP The Verne since Mr Stephen's death and have implemented all of the Ombudsman's recommendations."This includes strengthening staff training and improving processes around the treatment of ill prisoners."
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