7 January 2020

Phil Bolland, Director of Offender Care Services at CNWL said: "We accept the report from HMIP/CQC. It is a balanced report, with much positive work being commented on, such as:

  • 'In our survey, 65% of prisoners at the local site said they had a mental health problem. Treatment was good – it consisted of one-to-one interventions and group work and support included directed self-help and specialist psychological interventions.  There was an active caseload of 109 patients, with nine patients experiencing severe and enduring mental health problems who were managed under the care programme approach (mental health services for individuals diagnosed with a mental illness).'

"I am also pleased that they recognise we are a good partner:

  • 'Governance and partnership arrangements were good and included conducting a recent health needs analysis.   Clinical leadership was evident across all pathways. Key risks were identified and managed well and there was a focus on delivering the essentials of patient care. There was evidence of effective patient involvement. Wing health representatives attended regular health forums, which had triggered changes to practice. The incident reporting system was effective and there was a systematic approach to sharing lessons learned.'

"The report also acknowledged the staffing pressures we are under and we continue to develop new initiatives to recruit and retain staff.

"We agree that there was a need to improve some of our systems for looking after people’s long term conditions. We set in place immediate actions to address the Requirement Notice and we are closely monitoring this area to ensure we meet all of the required standards.  

"We are very proud of the healthcare team at HMP Winchester who have achieved a number of improvements. Our staff are terrific and their work has been heroic; thank you to them. This report and others show that they have made a real difference to the lives of many prisoners at Winchester."