Decision Report 201507826

Summary

Mr C complained about the way in which his pain relief medication was handled by the prison health centre and that the doctor refused to see him in private.

Mr C had been prescribed pain relief for pain in his leg. This was later stopped and an alternative medication prescribed. However, due to concerns that Mr C was failing to take the medication in the way it was prescribed, this medication was also stopped and further alternatives, including anti-depressants, were suggested.

We took independent advice from a GP adviser. We found that, when reviewing Mr C's medication, the health centre had acted in line with Scottish national guidelines on the management of chronic pain and on prescribing. We considered the health centre's actions to be reasonable given the assessments carried out for Mr C.

The board told us that there were no records of Mr C asking to see health centre staff in private. We considered that in a secure environment, it would not be unreasonable for Mr C to be accompanied at health centre appointments. We saw evidence of only one occasion on which Mr C had been accompanied and that this was reasonable. We therefore did not uphold Mr C's complaints.