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Learning from lives lost in custody to improve offender healthcare
Colleagues from across our offender healthcare services in the South West came together for the first ever Lessons from Lives Lost Conference to improve health care in custody.
Welcoming delegates on the day was Annie Dale, Head of Nursing for offender healthcare services in the South West.
She said she hoped the inaugural conference would be the first in a series to share overarching learning and understand how we can develop to deliver improved care for those in custody.
Where there have been mistakes or errors and things have gone wrong, offender healthcare services are shifting their focus from ‘responding to preventing’, she explained.
Colleagues were introduced to the DETRACTS+ framework. To provide more support, Offender Healthcare services needed more structure and a way to prioritise the resources available. The framework will also be used as a reflective model following incidents to achieve best practice.
Prison officer Lee Harvey, who has worked at HMP Bristol for 19 years, shared how everyone who works within the prison community will go through some level of grief when a death in custody occurs. He said: “We inherit a lot of risk and trauma from those who come through the door as they’ve lost their support systems from outside. Prison and healthcare staff work very closely together to support people appropriately and reduce risk.”
Amber Williams, Practice Development Nurse for the BSWG cluster of prisons, described how staff who didn’t feel supported after attending frequent death in custody incidents had left their roles and how increasing support after incidents is critical to retention.
Dr Liz Walsh, UK Professional Lead Nurse for Justice and Forensic Nursing at the Royal College of Nursing, agreed. “We know that prison staff are under intense scrutiny all of the time. The impact of a death in custody leads to even more scrutiny under processes which swing into action, which can increase fear and anxiety. Engaging in effective reflection will help to support our staff and make systemic change,” she said.
Other speakers included Dr Jake Hard, a GP with over 19 years’ experience within the UK prison healthcare system and Associate Clinical Director for South West Offender Healthcare, who spoke about preparing for inquests.
Philip Spinney, HM Senior Coroner for Devon, then talked delegates through the statutory inquest/coronial process to de-mystify what can be a stressful time for staff giving evidence.
Delegates also heard from Barrister, Heather Arlidge, Anita Mulinder on the purpose and role of the Prison and Probation Ombudsman and Lynn Emslie, Chair of the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody, who advises ministers and officials.
Closing the conference, Annie Dale added: “It’s been so lovely to see a room full of people and we hope it has been an informative day. This is an incredibly sensitive subject and our whole working lives remain devoted to trying to make improvements following tragedy.”
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