HMP Woodhill's mental health team was 'fire-fighting', inquest told

HMP Woodhill was the prison with the highest suicide rate in England and Wales in the five years to 2017

Mental health staff at a prison where eight inmates took their own lives in two years were "fire-fighting" and "dropped balls", an inquest has heard.

Joanne Rance, head of healthcare at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, said her team of four supported 800 prisoners.

One inmate who died was never given a mental health assessment, despite being classed as a "vulnerable adult", jurors at Milton Keynes Coroner's Court heard.

Bosses at the jail say procedures there are now more "robust".

Ryan Harvey - who had a learning disability - died days after arriving at Woodhill on 22 April 2015.

Ms Rance told the inquest she asked for a mental health assessment to be carried out on the 23-year-old, but it was never completed.

Mr Harvey, who had a history of drug and alcohol abuse, died on 8 May 2015, five days after he was found hanging in his cell.

The mental health team at HMP Woodhill consisted of just four people who were responsible for 800 inmates

Senior Coroner for Milton Keynes Tom Osborne told the jury prison staff had previously found Mr Harvey with a ligature around his neck, which was not taken away.

The inquest jury also heard that despite being observed every 30 minutes, staff did not go in to his cell because he threatened to throw a television at anyone who entered.

Ms Rance told the inquest that her team - consisting of one full-time nurse, another part-time nurse, a psychiatrist for part of the week and herself - "was not sufficient to manage what we needed".

"My team was tiny. We were absolutely fire-fighting," she said. "Did we drop balls? Yes. Did we mean to drop balls? No."

Ms Rance said she raised concerns with her own management "at every opportunity" and there were nurse vacancies available but she "couldn't recruit into them".

Nick Armstrong, representing Mr Harvey's family, said there had been a "wholesale system failure" at the jail.

The inquest continues.