§ Mr. FatchettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will supply figures for(a) the establishment and (b) actual staffing levels for medical staff at Leeds prison.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe figures are as follows:
(a) (b) Grade Complement Staff in post Senior Medical Officer 1 1 Medical Officers 3¼ 4 Prison Service Grade V (Hosp) 1 1 Prison Service Grade VI (Hosp) 2 2 Prison Service Grade VII (Hosp) 4 4 Prison Service Grade VIII (Hosp) 18 18
§ Mr. FatchettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list the occasions, and the reasons, for closures of the medical wing at Leeds prision during the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe medical accommodation at Leeds prison provides a total of 58 beds. On a total of 17 occasions between July 1987 and June 1988 local410W management decided that there were insufficient staff available to enable part of that accommodation, the 18-bedded observation ward, to be used. Over that period and for that reason the ward was taken out of use for a total of 12½days.
The shortage of staff arose from the actual strength of hospital officers being at times two below the complement of 18, absences because of sick and annual leave, and the occasional need for hospital officers to be deployed on escort duties. There were also occasions when the use of the ward was retained by its manning with discipline officers. Since February the number of hospital officers in post has matched the authorised complement.