Archived: HMP The Verne

Updated 26 August 2022

HMP The Verne is a Category C training prison for men convicted of a sexual offence. The prison is in the town of Portland in Dorset and accommodates approximately 600 prisoners. The prison is operated by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service.

Health services at HMP The Verne are commissioned by NHS England & Improvement. The contract for the provision of healthcare services is held by Practice Plus Group Health & Rehabilitation Services Limited (PPG). PPG is registered with CQC to provide the regulated activities of diagnostic and screening procedures, personal care, and treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

Our previous comprehensive inspection was conducted jointly with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) in February 2020 and published on the HMIP website on 3 June 2020. We found a breach of Regulation 17, Good governance in relation to mental health services.

The-Verne-web-2020.pdf (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)

Updated 26 August 2022

We carried out an announced focused inspection of healthcare services provided by Practice Plus Group Health & Rehabilitation Services Limited (PPG) at HMP The Verne to follow up on the requirement notice issued after our last inspection in February 2020. At the last inspection in February 2020, we found the quality of healthcare provided by PPG at this location required improvement. We issued a requirement notice in relation to Regulation 17, Good governance.

The purpose of this focused inspection was to determine if the healthcare services provided by PPG were meeting the legal requirements of the requirement notice that we issued in February 2020, and to determine if the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and that patients were receiving safe care and treatment.

At this inspection we found the required improvements had been made and the provider was meeting the regulations. We took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering how we carried out this inspection. We therefore undertook some of the inspection processes remotely.

We do not currently rate services provided in prisons. We highlight good practice and issues that service providers need to improve and take regulatory action as necessary.

At this inspection we found:

• New systems and processes had been implemented to strengthen governance of the mental health service.
• Caseloads were well managed, and all patients had a named worker.
• Patients had personalised care plans.