Prisoner at HMP Winchester who died had 'delay' in care

It follows an investigation into a prisoner's death and the "slight delay" that occurred after his son - a fellow inmate - went to get a blood pressure machine.

He was turned away, resulting in one of the prison officers having to collect it instead. 

Sean Huntroyd was taken ill on May 7, 2020 and a report into his death has been published following an investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

Sean Huntroyd was on remand at Winchester Prison after being accused of shoplifting and breaching a community order (Image: Newsquest)

The report says: "Mr Huntroyd had type 2 diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver. He also had a significant history of illicit drug and alcohol misuse.

"Just after 4pm, an officer called for a member of healthcare to check on Mr Huntroyd after he said he felt 'funny’. The officer thought Mr Huntroyd was under the influence of drugs and Mr Huntroyd confirmed he had smoked 'spice', an illicit psychoactive substance."

READ MORE: Mother still waiting for answers two years after her son died at Winchester Prison

The report says a prison paramedic was unable to obtain a blood pressure reading.

"She asked one of the officers to collect another BP machine from the treatment room on the wing. Mr Huntroyd’s son, who lived in the cell next door, ran to collect the equipment but was told he could not have it.

"He returned to the cell and one of the officers collected it instead.

"At 4.21pm, officers radioed a code blue medical emergency, indicating a life-threatening situation, and an ambulance was called immediately."

An investigation into Sean Huntroyd's death has been carried out by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (Image: Newsquest)

Paramedics performed CPR before taking the prisoner to hospital, but his condition continued to worsen and he was pronounced dead at 5.37pm.

A postmortem examination found he had suffered "catastrophic" internal bleeding caused by cirrhosis of the liver.

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The report says the care he received in jail was equivalent to what could have been expected in the community.

But it adds: "We are concerned that medical and prison staff allowed Mr Huntroyd’s son, also a prisoner at Winchester, to collect medical equipment during the emergency response.

"This led to a slight delay in obtaining the equipment. Although this did not impact the treatment or outcome for Mr Huntroyd, it could be critical in future medical emergencies.

"The Governor and Head of Healthcare should all remind staff that it is not appropriate to request or expect prisoners to collect medical equipment in medical emergencies."

Huntroyd, of Orchard Lane in Alton, was on remand after being accused of shoplifting and breaching a community order.