HMP Highpoint: Restraint use on ill prisoner 'inappropriate', says watchdog

An ill prisoner was inappropriately restrained while being taken to hospital, an ombudsman found.

Michael Tottem, 71, was an inmate at HMP Highpoint at Stradishall, Suffolk when he died in July 2022.

The prisons ombudsman raised concerns this was the second death in two years where a prisoner had been inappropriately restrained there.

A spokesman for HM Prison Service said rules about restraints on terminally ill patients had since changed.

An investigation by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) found managers at the prison did not consult with healthcare professionals before restraining Mr Tottem for a visit to hospital on 29 June 2022.

"The decision was not informed by an assessment of Mr Tottem's health at the time, and we consider that the use of restraints was inappropriate," the watchdog said.

The PPO highlighted that the same concern was raised during a 2020 investigation and said "it is concerning that it has been repeated".

A review found the clinical care was of a "mixed standard" and not always equivalent to that which Mr Tottem would have expected to receive in the community.

The clinical review made recommendations about complying with national guidelines and escalation of concerns about clinical presentation.

Mr Tottem, who was serving a 13-year sentence for attempted murder, was transferred to Highpoint in December 2020 and over 2022 his health deteriorated and he required a carer.

While attending hospital for an appointment on 29 June related to a suspected abdominal aneurysm, he was accompanied by two officers using an escort chain which allowed him to be handcuffed to a prison officer.

He was admitted and was restrained until 1 July when officers said the restraints were interfering with Mr Tottem's care.

He was diagnosed with multiple conditions while in hospital including an abdominal aortic aneurysm and lung cancer.

The PPO report said the coroner accepted the doctor's report that he died on 13 July as a result of lung cancer that had spread to other parts of his body.

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: "Our sympathies remain with Mr Tottem's family.

"We have since changed the rules so that all prisons must now refer to medical staff when determining whether to use restraints for terminally ill offenders."

Since his death a new national policy was published which included a mandatory escort risk assessment and the need for medical opinion.

The PPO said it has seen recent examples of the policy being used by HMP Highpoint.

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