Recurance · prevention of future deaths reports
Pre-inquest brief
Lack of dedicated substance misuse team in police custody
The earlier warning
Wayne Broad · 17 Jan 2014 · Andrew Walker, London (North)
“That was no dedicated substance misuse team available to look after Mr [name redacted] when he was in the custody suite at Hatfield Police Station, as there would have been had Mr [name redacted] been detained in prison”
What was promised
Stated action 1 · response to Wayne Broad (17 Jan 2014) · stated timescale: none stated
“The responsibility for healthcare in police custody suites will however soon transfer from individual police authorities to NHS England. Healthcare for persons in police custody will therefore be commissioned to NHS standards of care. This should lead to more consistent and improved healthcare standards, by ensuring that the same range and quality of substance misuse services are available to persons in police custody as would be available in prison or community settings.”
judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014-0020-Response.pdf
Stated action 2 · response to Wayne Broad (17 Jan 2014) · stated timescale: none stated
“G4S Forensic and Medical Service are responsible for the provision of medical services to Hertfordshire Police as defined in a specific contract written by Hertfordshire Police ("the Contract"), which does not at this time, provide for putting a dedicated substance misuse team into each of the police stations served by the Contract”
judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014-0020R2_Redacted.pdf
Stated action 3 · response to Wayne Broad (17 Jan 2014) · stated timescale: none stated
“We do however take our duty of care for the welfare of detainees very seriously and provide medical care in custody which effectively triages our detainees to assess that they are fit to be detained and are kept safe.”
judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014-0020R3_Redacted.pdf
What recurred
- 15 Apr 2015 · Nicholas Rowley · Ian Smith · Closely related · confidence 0.85 (high)
The clearest link, quoted from both reports:
Earlier · Wayne Broad · 17 Jan 2014
“That was no dedicated substance misuse team available to look after Mr [name redacted] when he was in the custody suite at Hatfield Police Station, as there would have been had Mr [name redacted] been detained in prison”
Later · Nicholas Rowley · 15 Apr 2015
“That training should include targeted training on the risks and dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, including methadone intoxication and alcohol withdrawal, particularly if the detainee is likely to be in custody for upwards of 24 hours.”
What happened next
No web check of the stated actions has been published for this chain.