HMP Northumberland: Criticism after prisoner's death

Adam Thompson was suffering with psychosis in the days leading up to his death, the prison ombudsman report said

Prison staff stopped monitoring an inmate properly two days before he took his own life, a report has found.

Adam Thompson, 33, died by hanging in his cell at HMP Northumberland on 4 November 2022.

A report by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) said staff had stopped monitoring him for signs of self-harm days after he had cut his wrist.

The prison said it had accepted the report's recommendations and implemented an action plan.

The PPO, which investigates deaths in custody, said it was concerned that suicide and self-harm monitoring procedures - known as ACCT - were "stopped prematurely" for the inmate who had been suffering from psychosis.

Its report also raised concerns about Mr Thompson's antipsychotic medication not being adjusted, despite nurses being aware he was being given the wrong dosage.

Mr Thompson, who had only been in prison for three weeks, had been serving an eight-month sentence for assault and breaching a suspended sentence.

The report also highlighted that Mr Thompson suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and had a history of drug-induced psychosis, as well as alcohol and substance misuse.

Ten days after arriving at HMP Northumberland, on 24 October, staff started ACCT monitoring after Mr Thompson expressed thoughts of suicide.

On 30 October, Mr Thompson was taken to hospital after he cut his wrist.

He told staff he did this so he would be moved out of his cell, where he felt unsafe, the report said.

The following day he refused to go back to his cell telling staff he felt he was at risk from being attacked by other inmates.

He spent two days in the segregation unit, where he was being monitored five times per hour.

The ombudsman report said a plan to increase Mr Thompson's antipsychotic medication from 5mg to 20mg, his previous dose, was not implemented.

On November 2, Mr Thompson told staff he was no longer having suicidal thoughts and ACCT was halted.

Medication issues

Two days later, the duty manager noted Mr Thompson appeared "very paranoid" and had asked a transfer to another prison.

That evening he was found dead in his cell.

The report said there were "concerns" that medication issues were not resolved and that staff stopped ACCT procedures prematurely on 2 November.

"This was only two days after Mr Thompson returned from hospital after cutting his wrist," it added.

The report recommended that the prison ensure staff follow ACCT procedures in line with prison policy.

An HMP Northumberland spokesperson said that the thoughts of staff remained with Mr Thompson's family.

"We cooperated fully with the review and accepted those recommendations made in the report," the spokesperson added.