§ Lord H. CAVENDISH-BENTINCKasked the Home Secretary whether he will give the names of the prisons and Borstal institutions in which trained nurses are employed, the number of such nurses, and the training and qualification possessed by each; whether such nurses wear any distinctive uniform; what other duties, if any, besides nursing they perform; and what provision is made for sick prisoners in institutions in which no trained nurses are employed?
§ Mr. BRACEAt the male prisons shown on the attached list there are hospital officers, most of whom had previous service in the Royal Army Medical Corps or as sick berth stewards in the Royal Navy. Before being appointed as hospital officers in the prison service, they underwent a special training for at least two months in prison hospital duty at a large prison hospital and were reported as efficient and satisfactory. They do not wear a distinctive uniform. They are wholly employed in hospital 3469W duty, unless the number of hospital patients falls so that there would not be sufficient duty for them, in which case they would be employed on some discipline duty. In the male prisons in which there is no hospital staff, the average number of sick requiring special nursing is so low that the whole-time services of a nurse would not be justified. In such prisons, where the need for a nurse arises, the governor is authorised to engage an outside nurse or nurses, or, if this is not possible, nurses would be sent from some other prison.
As regards the female prisons, etc., all female offcers go through at least a month's training at the training school in simple hospital duties. Many of the female officers have had previous experience of nursing and the governors of the various prisons consider this previous experience in selecting officers to act as nurses. At the larger prisons many have been employed as hospital officers for years and are reported to be quite efficient. They do not wear any distinctive uniform. In all but a few prisons the number of hospital patients is so small, averaging less than one, that the employment of a whole-time nurse is not called for. If a case calls for special nursing which in the opinion of the medical officer could not be carried out by one of the staff, the governor is authorised to engage an outside nurse or nurses. Further, the Commissioners are now arranging for all the female officers to undergo six months' training in hospital duties at the training school.
There is, moreover, power to release to a hospital under Section 17 (6) of the Criminal Justice Administration Act any prisoner suffering from disease which cannot properly be treated in prison, or for a surgical operation which cannot be carried out in prison, and many cases are dealt with under this power.
PRISONS WHERE HOSPITAL OFFICERS ARE EMPLOYED. Prison. No. of Officers. Prison. No. of Officers. Aylesbury 1 Manchester 3 Birmingham 2 Newcastle 1 Borstal 1 Parkhurst 25 Brixton 4 Pentonville 5 Dartmoor 3 Portland 9 Durham 2 Preston 1 Holloway 1 Shrewsbury 1 Leeds 3 Wandsworth 1 Liverpool 5 Winchester 1 Maidstone 3 Wormwood Scrubs 5 In addition, 27 hospital officers are serving with the Colours.