First aid training for prison guards 'axed in April', says coroner in future deaths warning

First aid training for prison guards has been cut back in the last six months, a coroner has said, in a warning that the lives of inmates are being put at risk.

Coroner Ivan Cartwright raised the alarm after hearing the inquest into the death of 49-year-old Anthony Sleaford in his cell at HMP Gartree.

Sleaford hung himself at the Leicestershire jail in October 2022 after mental health struggles, and the coroner concluded he died after he “was unable to receive the healthcare and support he required”.

The inquest heard how there was a delay of “several minutes” between prison guards entering the cell to find him unresponsive, and specialist medical staff reaching the scene.

In a report warning of the risk of future similar deaths, Mr Cartwright said he had heard evidence during the inquest that most guards hired before 2018 do not have first aid training and are not skilled in CPR.

“Officers who had completed prison officer training between approximately April 2018 and April 2024 did have first aid training, but there had been no refresher training, subsequently, for that cohort”, he set out.

“Evidence was heard that after April 2024, basic first aid training (including CPR training) has been omitted from the foundation training programme for those training to be prison officers, meaning that NO new prison officers will have first aid/related training.

“I am gravely concerned that this situation (i.e. a lack of such training provided as foundation training), if it prevails, will probably lead to future deaths in prison custody.”

When contacted about the report, the Ministry of Justice contradicted the coroner’s suggestions and claimed emergency first aid training is still part of the foundation training programme. The department did not elaborate further, and said it intends to formally respond to the coroner’s report within the next two months.

The inquest heard Sleaford had been a prisoner for around 11 years prior to his death on October 27, 2022, and had largely been held at HMP Gartree, a high-security jail.

He was moved to Lincoln prison to be nearer his sick father in May 2022, but was moved back to Gartree in August of that year.

The coroner said Sleaford had been struggling to sleep two days before his death, and the following day it was discovered he was home-brewing alcohol in his cell – leading to his prison status being downgraded from ‘enhanced’ to ‘basic’.

Sleaford was checked on at around 9pm, and at around 5.45am the next morning he was spoken to through the cell door.

But later in the morning, Sleaford was not answering guards and when they entered he was found unresponsive.

“Prison officer staff waited for several minutes while further staff, including healthcare staff, attended at the cell, followed later by paramedics”, said Mr Cartwright.

“Mr Sleaford could not be revived and his death was confirmed at the scene by one of the attending paramedics, at 8.01am on 27 October 2022.”

He concluded prison staff have an “unrealistic expectation that prison healthcare staff will be willing and able to react timeously to any emergency unfolding, meaning there are obvious and crucial gaps in the extent and adequacy of the first/earliest response to any emergency unfolding”.

The coroner also warned that prison guards may not know when to enter a cell if it is believed a prisoner needs care or assistance.

The report has been issued to the Lord Chancellor, the Minister for Prisons, the MoJ and prison healthcare providers, as well as Mr Sleaford’s family.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We will respond to the Prevention of Future Deaths report in due course.”

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