HMP Northumberland

Updated 30 May 2023

HMP Northumberland is a privately run prison located in Morpeth, Northumberland. It is operated by Sodexo and accommodates approximately 1348 male prisoners. HMP Northumberland is a large Category C training and resettlement prison.

Health services at HMP Northumberland are commissioned by NHSE. The main provider for healthcare was Spectrum Community Health CIC, they provided primary care services and clinical DART (Drug and alcohol recovery team) services. Spectrum subcontracted mental health services to Tees, Esk and Wear Valley Mental Health Trust and to Rethink Mental Illness. Humankind provided substance misuse psychosocial services. This commissioning arrangement throughout the Northeast cluster of prisons, was called the ‘Reconnected to Health’ partnership.

Spectrum is registered with CQC to provide the regulated activities of treatment of disease, disorder or injury, surgical procedures and diagnostic and screening procedures.

Our previous comprehensive inspection was conducted jointly with HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) in September 2022 and published on the HMIP website on 14 December 2022.

HMP Northumberland (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)

We found a breach of Regulation 18, Staffing.

Updated 30 May 2023

We carried out an announced focused inspection of healthcare services provided by Spectrum Community Health CIC at HMP Northumberland to follow up on the Requirement Notice issued after our last inspection in September 2022. At the last inspection, we found the quality of healthcare provided by Spectrum at this location required improvement. We issued a Requirement Notice in relation to Regulation 18, Staffing.

The purpose of this focused inspection was to determine if the healthcare services provided by Spectrum were meeting the legal requirements and regulations of the Requirement Notice under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and that patients were receiving safe care and treatment.

At this inspection we found the required improvements had been made and the provider was meeting the regulations.

We do not currently rate services provided in prisons. We highlight good practice and issues that service providers need to improve and take regulatory action as necessary.

At this inspection we found:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe.
• The service provided safe care. Staff had completed and kept up to date with mandatory and additional training.
• Managers had introduced defined roles and responsibilities for staff, with clear lines of escalation.
• Managers had introduced key initiatives to safeguard patient care. This included a dedicated nurse to triage patient applications and waiting lists, a shift co-ordinator and a long-term conditions service.
• Governance processes operated effectively at team level and performance and risk were adequately managed.

The provider should:

• The provider should ensure the GP waiting list remains a focus for review so patients with mental health conditions are not disadvantaged.
• The provider should ensure patients medicines are routinely reviewed.
• The provider should ensure that 13-week reviews are completed for patients on detoxification programmes.
• The provider should ensure staffing levels in the administrative team are sufficient to meet the roles and functions in the team.
• The provider should ensure clinical audits are completed in relation to long term conditions and care plans are personalised.