HMP Lewes: residents’ experiences of health and care

This is a report by Healthwatch East Sussex. The report looks at the health of prisoners at HMP Lewes.

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.

• Issues of communication and information sharing
• Access to and quality of care
• Social care needs and issues of accessibility
• Wider determinants of health and wellbeing 

There are recommendations in this report

Practice Plus Group

• Explore training residents as Health Champions to support the Patient Experience Lead to assist residents in understanding health and care processes, provide basic health and self-care advice, and supporting the completion of tasks such as completing healthcare applications. 

• Implement a process to acknowledge and track healthcare applications (Apps) so residents are aware whether applications have been successfully received. 

• Review mental health provision in HMP Lewes and pathways for access to external mental health services to determine their effectiveness in meeting resident’s needs. 

• Undertake an accessibility audit for the healthcare provision in HMP Lewes and explore opportunities to maximise access for those with the most significant support requirements. 

• Develop channels of communication with ESCC and NHS Sussex so that emerging themes and issues can be regularly discussed and addressed.

• Update movement slips to specify the time referred to (AM/PM) and the healthcare service the appointment relates to and ensure these are provided to residents well in advance of appointment times. 

HMP Lewes
• Collaboration with the healthcare provider (PPG) to explore opportunities for services to be delivered on wings in order to maximise accessibility and reduce barriers to attendance. 

• Photo charts identifying the roles and responsibilities of staff to be made accessible on all wings and in all settings, and badges to identify staff roles.

• Consider how residents can have direct communication with ESCC adult social care department to request an assessment and/or raise concerns.

NHS Sussex
• Staff to be made aware of the limitations around appointment times for prison residents to better support the take-up of appointments and reduce ‘Did Not Attends’ (DNAs). 

• Clear contact information to be provided to PPG and HMP Prison Lewes staff to support changes to medical appointments. 

East Sussex County Council
• Ensure accessible information on adult social care services, including eligibility and assessment processes, is provided to residents.

• Ensure there is an accessible complaints and escalation pathway, and information available to both health and social care users about how to access this.

• Consider how residents can have direct communication with ESCC adult social care department to request an assessment and/or raise concerns.

Healthwatch East Sussex
• Continue to share healthcare feedback and experiences of HMP Lewes residents with PPG, HM Prison Service, NHS Sussex, East Sussex County Council, Care Quality Commission and NHS England. 

• Continue to offer Information and Signposting support and monitor feedback on healthcare services from Lewes Prison residents to support understanding on their effectiveness, equity and accessibility. 

• Share insight and reports on healthcare services in Prison settings with Healthwatch England and NHS England to support national intelligence on this theme.

There are no follow up actions in this report. But there is a joint response from the prison and provider.