APPENDIX 27
Letter from Mr Paul Corry, Press Officer,
National Schizophrenia Fellowship, to the Clerk of the Committee
(MH 64A)
I understand from our telephone conversation today
that the date for written submissions to the Health Committee's
inquiry into the provision of NHS mental health services has passed.
However, you indicated that, with the focus of the inquiry turning
to prison services on May 18, it might be possible to bring to
the Committee's attention the findings of a recent inquest into
the death of a young man, Keita Craig, in Wandsworth prison.
Mr Craig had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and
died in Wandsworth prison on Tuesday 1 February after being arrested
on Sunday 30 January. He was remanded to Wandsworth from Richmond
magistrates. Richmond magistrates, the probation service, Mr Craig's
social worker and Securicor transport service were aware of his
fragile mental state. All warned the prison that he was a suicide
risk. Despite these warnings, the prison GP, a 73-year-old locum
who would not be allowed to practice within the NHS, did not make
any recommendations about Mr Craig's care beyond placing him in
the healthcare wing. Mr Craig was one of up to eight inmates who
carried suicide warnings who were locked in single cells and subject
to intermittent checks by one or two nurses. The nurses did not
have resuscitation training and their record keeping did not conform
to UKCC standards.
Westminster coroner Paul Knapman made 14 recommendations
at the inquest on 13-14 April. These included a full review of
nursing standards and a review of the use of prison GPs. NSF believes
that Mr Craig should have been transferred to a secure health
setting to await trial. Indeed, he was due to appear before Wimbledon
magistrates the day after his death where a Court Diversion scheme
operated. Richmond did not have such a scheme.
NSF has been working closely with Mr Craig's
family. We are pressing for:
improved nurse and prison officer
training;
new powers for a strengthened inspectorate;
raised awareness about and cover
of court diversion schemes;
implementation of the 1991 commitment
and the more recent acceptance of World Health Organisation recommendations
that health care in prisons should be equal to that in the NHS;
implementation of Standard 7 of the
national service framework on suicide reduction.
I hope you are able to bring this case to the
attention of the Committee. If you require more information, please
contact me.
2 May 2000
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