We observed some effective and respectful interactions between staff and patients, and received a lot of compliments from prisoners about clinical staff. In a survey conducted as part of the inspection process, 65% of prisoners said that the quality of healthcare services was good, or very good. One patient stated that the healthcare service was 'The best one I have been to.' Another said 'You cannot beat the healthcare service.'A range of effective primary care services were provided to patients, including nurse led clinics. Arrangements were in place to ensure that service provision was equivalent to that experienced by patients in the wider community. However, the waiting times for patients receiving dental care and treatment were too long. Most prisoners said they thought the quality of the nursing services was good or very good, but they told us that access to the GP service could be problematic.
Staff worked collaboratively with the prison and other healthcare services provided within HMP Bure. However, some partnership working did not effectively meet the health needs of the prison population. The capacity of the healthcare department was under pressure and this was beginning to impact on patients' access to services. The arrangements to provide patients with their medicines required improvement to ensure that individuals received their medicines in a timely way, and as intended by the prescriber.
Patients' complaints were effectively managed.