Summary
Mr C complained about the care and treatment he was given for addiction issues while in prison. We took independent advice from a mental health nurse with experience in addictions. We found that the treatment and support offered to Mr C was reasonable. In particular, the decision not to offer Mr C alternative medications to methadone was reasonable given that he admitted to the ongoing use of heroin and other illicit medications in prison, and would therefore have been at risk of an overdose. We also noted that with alternative medications to methadone there is a risk of them being covertly diverted in the prison environment. We did not uphold Mr C's complaint.
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View Decision Report 201809475 as a PDF (23.65 KB) Updated: October 23, 2019