We carried out this inspection alongside Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP). The Care Quality Commission and HMIP routinely coordinate inspections of prisons and healthcare providers. Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust is registered with the Commission to provide Treatment of disease, disorder or injury, surgical procedures and Diagnostic or screening procedures at Thorn Cross YOI.

We found that Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust, worked closely with other healthcare organisations, as part of overall prison healthcare services.

We observed that staff spoke respectfully to young adults, took measures to ensure their dignity and wherever possible gave them information to make choices.

Young adults told us they could quickly access a GP if they needed to see one and they could call into the healthcare unit to make an appointment and were usually seen the day after.

Young adults were positive about the healthcare provided at Thorn Cross Youth Offenders Institution (YOI). Several young adults raised concerns about missing their breakfast in order to attend appointments with the GP.

Young adults told us that the care and treatment that they received was good and they were allowed to manage their long-term medical conditions as they would at home for example asthma inhalers.

Young adults told us they used the different clinics provided on the healthcare unit, including vaccination clinics and the drop in treatment clinics that were held twice per day Monday to Friday and once per day at weekends and bank holidays.

Young adults told us they had used the service provided by the registered mental health nurse at the healthcare unit and when asked about the quality of the service said, “It was ok.”

We asked young adults how staff on the healthcare unit treated them. They told us, “They don’t talk to people in a respectful way.”

We saw two young adults in the main reception area making arrangement to attend outpatient appointments and observed that both young adults attended these appointments wearing their own clothes and not prison uniform.

We found there good systems in place to monitor the quality of service provision.