Page 5 | I work in healthcare in a notorious men's prison. AMA

TexasTyson · 2024-09-02T21:46:00+00:00

People generally find my job interesting and have a load of questions. I'm a paramedic and I've given up working on the road (I.e. on ambulances) to work in a men's prison.

Original poster

TexasTyson · 16/08/2025 10:07

Spidey66 · 16/08/2025 09:59

When I was there, mid 90s, Prison Service Nurses (PSNs) had just started. Prior to that healthcare was provided by Hospital Officers. There was 2 ways to be a HO. A qualified nurse could do Prison Officer training (about 3 or 4 months iirc) or an officer could go and do HO training for 6 months to give a basic grounding in healthcare. The PSNs got training in restraint techniques and basic security and that was that. There was a lot of resentment from the HO that we were ‘taking their jobs’. Many expected us to do the same job as them even though we weren’t trained for it eg they expected us to respond to alarms or search cells even though we weren’t trained or experienced to do so and were often quite vocal when we said we weren’t able to. I remember having an argument with one of the HOs who wanted me to do searching etc. I suggested that for example he wouldn’t expect a normal prison officer to check an inmates obs before bringing them to healthcare. He said, of course not that officer doesn’t have the knowledge or skills to understand when obs were out, which was exactly my point… I didn’t have the knowledge or experience to be able to safely or effectively manage a riot situation or to know how to properly search a cell. But many of the HOs seemed to think we should!

im genuinely pleased to see things have changed but when I was there nurses were treated quite poorly and negatively by their peers amongst the officers. I ended up very depressed and stressed and started getting migraines and sleepwalking. I was under stress outside…I was getting married, then my lovely dad died suddenly and shortly after that we bought our first home. But as soon as I left the prison service my migraines and sleepwalking stopped. I don’t regret doing the job but I certainly don’t regret leaving! I was there 2 years all in.

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Oh thats such an interesting insight, thank you!

Yes very different now. Healthcare and the prison work really well together for the most part. A few points of friction but that's usually fo do with the Planned Care team doing meds and checks during regime. My team is the emergency response team and there is a lot of respect for us. And the same the other way tbf. I have some wonderful officer friends.

OP posts:

Spidey66 · 16/08/2025 10:28

Pa we always knew why they were in. Their detention warrants were stapled to their medical records.

While I was there, I was approached by an inmate who said ‘I know you, you live in my flats’. At the time I was in council accommodation. I checked his warrant and we did indeed live in the same flats. Another nurse knew an inmate because his mum was her husbands cousin. His mum was a single mum so her husband over the years had given her a lot of practical and emotional support. At the time a (nice!) hospital officers was doing a training session on security and was told ‘if a member of staff knows an inmate then that inmate is moved to another prison.’ The HO pointed out there were 2 nurses who knew or were known by inmates and no action was taken and they were expected to work with them. We were then moved to different parts of healthcare, not the inmates moved. I was told my one couldn’t be moved as he was on remand (different to what the HO had been told was policy). My neighbours mum then died, and he attended the funeral in cuffs. He wasn’t happy about being cuffed and gave out saying ‘this the fault of that nurse who lives in my flats, I’m going to get her when I’m out, she’ll pay for this’. I reported this to the wing governor and pointed out what had happened was against the guidance my colleague understood. By this stage he’d been convicted but I was told he still couldn’t be moved because he had served much of his sentence on remand, was nearing the end and it would antagonise him. Instead it was reported to the local police and the governor warned him if he came anywhere near me on release he’d be back inside so quickly his feet wouldn’t touch the ground. As it was, I saw him only once, I was coming out of the lift as he was going in, and he ignored me. But on the whole I felt let down and as if the Home Iffice were not acting on their own guidelines, perhaps because nurses were treated as second class by them.

The other inmate who knew a nurse wasn’t moved immediately either. He had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and was waiting on a mental health bed. It was only when he got this that he was moved.

TheGander · 18/08/2025 18:34

Just finished Jury Service. The 1st case had to be stopped after 3 days because the defendant hadn’t had his ADHD meds after being transferred from his usual prison to the one closer to the Court. It was v frustrating. Do you think this kind of issue is common when prisoners move between prisons?

Original poster

TexasTyson · 19/08/2025 12:41

TheGander · 18/08/2025 18:34

Just finished Jury Service. The 1st case had to be stopped after 3 days because the defendant hadn’t had his ADHD meds after being transferred from his usual prison to the one closer to the Court. It was v frustrating. Do you think this kind of issue is common when prisoners move between prisons?

We have all the common medications, including controlled drugs for ADHD and Methadone in our Reception unit and out First Night Centre. We aldo have a full pharmacy and eash wing had its own dispensary. As far as we can, we try to prevent any missed doses when people transfer. It's not always possible for one reason or another but we do our best.
Worth noting that prisoners are pretty wiley too- moving prisons should never mean missing THREE doses....

OP posts:

Lgd6uk · 24/11/2025 21:28

I'm about to go for an interview for a HCA within a prison and currently working within community GP as a HCA,
What can I expect i.e daily job load and what should I plan for my interview.

Soditsally · 25/11/2025 18:29

@Lgd6uk .. you need to be able to show that you can provide a high standard of care without judgment , that they are patients the same as all others .
You should say that you expect there to be training around vulnerability and conditioning to ensure you recognise anyone trying to cross boundaries . That you expect a high level of mental health , substance misuse and self harm and look forward to some education around this . That you are able to work well as a reliable team player and that you would escalate anyone who is unwell promptly.
Mention working with the officers and recognising the barriers for us as healthcare - regime , priority, staffing , maturity and judgment .
Good luck with your interview .