HMP Lewes: residents’ experiences of health and care

 Healthwatch East Sussex researched at the health of prisoners at HMP Lewes.  This followed outreach at the prison for information and signposting which identified a number of problems.

Healthwatch in East Sussex had previously engaged with HMP Lewes and visited to speak to prisoners there.

A survey was sent to the whole resident population and a drop in forum was done for those with additional needs.

The feedback Healthwatch received from residents described multiple individual concerns and situations, but they often featured a common theme of issues relating to communication and collaborative working practices, whether between HMP Lewes, PPG, the resident, or external partners, resulting in frustration and worry for the resident, and sometimes poorer patient outcomes and inefficient use of resources. 

Concerns with waiting times were also added to by lack of communication to both reassure that requests had been actioned, and establish realistic expectations for residents about whether their experience aligned with the standards they should expect. 

The quality of relationships and effectiveness of collaborative working practices appear key to enabling residents to use health and care services. Accessing services can be a complex process, including multiple stages and the involvement of various teams, increasing the risk for errors to occur. The difficulty of tracing this process to solve or understand issues can further add to the frustration for residents. Feedback also highlighted how the prison regime and environment has a significant impact on enabling healthcare and supporting or impacting on the overall health and well-being of residents. 

Alongside the effectiveness of collaborative working with PPG, this was seen through issues of accessibility, and the extent to which opportunities or support were available for residents to manage their health conditions and general wellbeing. Since engaging with residents at HMP Lewes Healthwatch have been updated by Practice Plus Group of changes to practices and improvements to services with the hope that this will benefit the patient experience.