Wandsworth jail needs to look into its methadone policy after prisoner’s death, watchdog says

HMP Wandsworth has been told to review its management of methadone after a prisoner who was prescribed a ‘rapid increase’ in dosage of the opiate was found dead in his cell.

Brandon Johnson, 40, died from cardiorespiratory failure, after chronic cocaine misuse, just 13 days after arriving at the prison, on September 12, 2019.

Mr Johnson was released on licence from HMP Thameside on July 5, 2019, after being sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment for burglary and theft. He was recalled to HMP Wandsworth on August 30 after breaching conditions on his licence.

He had paranoid schizophrenia, a long history of substance misuse and had spent time in the prison before, but was described as a quiet prisoner who kept himself to himself.

A prison GP prescribed Mr Johnson alcohol detoxification and a daily 30mg dose of methadone after assessing him when he arrived at HMP Wandsworth.

Another prison GP increased the dose of methadone to 35mg on September 2, at a nurse’s request, as Mr Johnson had complained of withdrawal symptoms. The same GP increased the dose to 45mg on September 5 as Mr Johnson showed further signs of withdrawal.

Mr Johnson was lying in bed each time wing staff checked on him during the day on September 12, and they thought he was asleep.

A healthcare assistant found him unresponsive after going into his cell when he realised he had not gone to pick up his methadone. Staff tried to resuscitate him before paramedics arrived, but he was pronounced dead that afternoon.

The post-mortem report said the level of methadone in his blood was above the potentially fatal concentration in people who have a tolerance to it.

A Prisons and Probation Ombudsman report found healthcare staff should have reassessed Mr Johnson’s risks as he had been diagnosed with a heart abnormality, that can increase the risk of erratic heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death, in 2018.

The watchdog also ruled staff should have been more cautious about prescribing Mr Johnson a higher dose of methadone in a relatively short period of time.

The ombudsman recommended the prison’s head of healthcare review the management of methadone by assessing the need for ECG tests when starting inmates on the opiate and extra monitoring when dosage is significantly increased.

Pictured top: Wandsworth prison (Picture: LDRS/Facundo Arrizabalaga)