John O’Meara
PFD Report
All Responded
Ref: 2018-0012
All 1 response received
· Deadline: 2 May 2018
Coroner's Concerns (AI summary)
Prison officers inconsistently followed Code Blue/Red procedures, delaying emergency response and Naloxone administration due to inadequate training. There's also an insufficient number of passive drug detection dogs to control Novel Psychoactive Substances.
View full coroner's concerns
have sufficient concern about wider issues which warrant the writing of this Prevent Future Death Report (CJA 2009, Schedule 5, Paragraph 7; Regulation 28 Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013) to be sent more centrally _ This is: This inquest has raised two matters which would like to highlight to the Prison Service _ are not matters , in Mr 0'Meara's case, which were necessarily causative of the death, but they are live issues very relevant to the current challenging times Prison Officers are facing in busy and short-staffed prisons: Activation of Code Blue/Red The sad facts leading up to the death of John Kevin 0'MEARA have not been the first set of facts where have heard about a death where the activation of codes has not been immediate They am concerned that Prison Officers are not strictly following the Code Blue/Red system which is meaning there is a delay in the London Ambulance being called . Whilst can see in many cases that, by the time the prisoner has been found, there may be nothing that can be done to resuscitate them with the number of deaths happening relating to opiate use, the prompt administration of Naloxone is important to give the deceased the best chance; and this is only one resuscitative measure_ gather the current way that Officers are trained is by the use of Notices and Pocket-sized Cards. The Officer finding Mr 0 'Meara, even after questioning by myself and the Counsel for Interested Persons, left the witness stand still not understanding that by not immediately calling a Code Blue, and despite prison medical staff coming quickly , an ambulance would not have been called. Even presumably having reflected on the case, she did not appear to understand the reason why a Code is called am asking for more consideration to be given to ensure the right message is getting across and that Prison Officers understand the importance of and reasons for the use of the codes Passive Dog Use The Prison GP expert in this inquest was emphatic that Novel Psychoactive Substance played a part in the death. understand that these drugs can be brought into the prison in a number of ways and one is NPS contaminated paper or even childrens photographs, arriving into Prisons in the post: appreciate how challenging it is to control the use of Novel Psychoactive Substances in prisons So, the use of trained passive dogs is particularly helpful In fact it appears to be one of the only failsafe ways to controlling NPS use in prisons. There are only two at HMP Wormwood Scrubs whereas HMP Highdown has eight. Although dogs can be 'borrowed' from other London prisons when handlers are away_ wish to put on record my support for funding for more of these dogs at this current challenging time.
Responses
Action Taken
Regular notices to staff are published, signs are displayed in all offices and information about emergency response procedures is included in the induction for all new staff; notices have been attached to all cell doors in the First Night Centre; the London and Thames Valley regional search team is currently recruiting additional dog handlers to increase the service provided to prisons in the region, including HMP Wormwood Scrubs, which will be provided with a total of seven dog handlers, with both passive and active search and patrol dogs. (AI summary)
Regular notices to staff are published, signs are displayed in all offices and information about emergency response procedures is included in the induction for all new staff; notices have been attached to all cell doors in the First Night Centre; the London and Thames Valley regional search team is currently recruiting additional dog handlers to increase the service provided to prisons in the region, including HMP Wormwood Scrubs, which will be provided with a total of seven dog handlers, with both passive and active search and patrol dogs. (AI summary)
View full response
Dear
arrangement to other high risk areas such as healthcare, segregation and the detox unit later this month; As you may know, the member of staff to whom you refer who continued not to understand system even after giving evidence at the inquest is no longer employed at the prison. Please be assured that the Governor is seized of the importance of this issue and will keep the situation under review in order to identify any further steps that can be taken to ensure that staff are aware of the emergency codes and understand when to use them; Your second concern is that the number of passive drug dogs available at the prison is not sufficient to provide an effective response to the supply and use of psychoactive substances agree that we need to improve our capacity to address this issue, and am pleased to report that the London and Thames Valley regional search team is currently recruiting additional dog handlers to increase the service provided to prisons in the region. This includes HMP Wormwood Scrubs, which will be provided with a total of seven dog handlers, with both passive and active search and patrol dogs. Thank you again for bringing these matters of concern to my attention:
arrangement to other high risk areas such as healthcare, segregation and the detox unit later this month; As you may know, the member of staff to whom you refer who continued not to understand system even after giving evidence at the inquest is no longer employed at the prison. Please be assured that the Governor is seized of the importance of this issue and will keep the situation under review in order to identify any further steps that can be taken to ensure that staff are aware of the emergency codes and understand when to use them; Your second concern is that the number of passive drug dogs available at the prison is not sufficient to provide an effective response to the supply and use of psychoactive substances agree that we need to improve our capacity to address this issue, and am pleased to report that the London and Thames Valley regional search team is currently recruiting additional dog handlers to increase the service provided to prisons in the region. This includes HMP Wormwood Scrubs, which will be provided with a total of seven dog handlers, with both passive and active search and patrol dogs. Thank you again for bringing these matters of concern to my attention:
Sent To
- HMP Wormwood Scrubs
Response Status
Linked responses
1 of 1
56-Day Deadline
2 May 2018
All responses received
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Organisations named in PFD reports must respond within 56 days explaining what actions they are taking.
Source: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
Report Sections
Investigation and Inquest
On 6 April 2016 the court opened an investigation into the death of John Kevin 0'MEARA He had died on 29th March 2016. The inquest was concluded on gth October 2017
Circumstances of the Death
A jury found: That the medical cause of death was: Ia. Respiratory Depression 1b Methadone in Conjunction with other drugs History of Alcohol and Drug Misuse and Evidence of Liver Damage How, when and where: Between 12.00 and 14.20 on 29/03/16, the deceased suffered respiratory failure whilst in cell R4-05 of the Conibeere Unit in HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs. Attempts were made to resuscitate. The deceased was pronounced dead 15.17 Mr 0'Meara was housed in the Conibeere Unit of HM Prison Wormwood
Scrubs after detailing history of drug and alcohol misuse on arrest. He was undergoing drug stabilisation programme involving prescription of Methadone in line with nation guidelines. The Methadone was prescribed following an initial assessment and drug test by clinical staff on his arrival at the prison. In addition, he was prescribed multiple drugs to alleviate and manage symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and mental health issues. Mr 0'Meara suffered catastrophic respiratory failure_ He died in part because: Insufficient staffing levels in the Conibeere Unit led to inadequate medical supervision, specifically the omission of the medical monitoring and failure to complete full vital signs checks on the day of his death_ 2 . A missed opportunity to raise concerns over Mr 0'Meara' s health following an interaction with prison staff at 12 midday on the day of his death. The Conclusion of the Jury was: Drug Related
Scrubs after detailing history of drug and alcohol misuse on arrest. He was undergoing drug stabilisation programme involving prescription of Methadone in line with nation guidelines. The Methadone was prescribed following an initial assessment and drug test by clinical staff on his arrival at the prison. In addition, he was prescribed multiple drugs to alleviate and manage symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and mental health issues. Mr 0'Meara suffered catastrophic respiratory failure_ He died in part because: Insufficient staffing levels in the Conibeere Unit led to inadequate medical supervision, specifically the omission of the medical monitoring and failure to complete full vital signs checks on the day of his death_ 2 . A missed opportunity to raise concerns over Mr 0'Meara' s health following an interaction with prison staff at 12 midday on the day of his death. The Conclusion of the Jury was: Drug Related
Action Should Be Taken
In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths Prison Officers should receive better and/or more training on the prompt activation of Codes Red and Blue at HMP Wormwood Scrubs. More passive dogs should be available at HMP Wormwood Scrubs
Copies Sent To
Walshe
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Data sourced from Courts and Tribunals Judiciary under the Open Government Licence.