Rising violence concerns at ageing HMP Leicester
A high turnover of inmates at an ageing and overcrowded Victorian prison is putting more pressure on staff to make sure it is safe and decent, a watchdog says.The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) reviewed HMP Leicester from February 2024 to January 2025 and found cases of violence in that time rose to 270, compared to 186 in 2023.The group said there were also long delays in the taking of prisoners suffering from acute mental illness to hospital.The Ministry of Justice, which runs the Welford Road jail, said £40m was being invested in new security measures this year to cut violence in prisons in England.
In July, the IMB - volunteers who monitor standards - said the Category B jail, built in the 19th Century, was no longer fit for purpose.In their latest report, they said the site "remains under significant pressure" from the large number of men being sent there.The board said population numbers fell in the summer of 2024 but by the end of January the prison was again full. The most prisoners which it can hold without a serious risk to safety is 327, according to authorities.The watchdog found prison staff were trying to manage the high turnover of prisoners in the ageing prison.The IMB said, despite some funding, the condition of cells continued to get worse and broken windows and grills, which were replaced with perspex sheets with holes, allowed drugs to be smuggled in.
Dementia concerns
The delay in moving prisoners with acute mental illness to hospital was due to a shortage of available beds, with one inmate waiting 175 days until a suitable place was found, they said..The IMB advised there should be sufficient places in secure mental health facilities for prisoners who needed them.The prison "was not a suitable place" for prisoners with severe dementia, the board said, adding it did not meet their needs and put the inmate and staff at risk.The board found a third of men released from the prison had no accommodation to go to and were more likely to reoffend.Trevor Worsfold, Leicester IMB chair, said: "In the board's view, the prison is well-led but the high turnover of men and ageing buildings make prison staff's already challenging task much harder."The watchdog did say the prison was developing strong relationships with local employers to prepare inmates for work after they were released.A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said their £40m investment in better security was aimed at reducing violence in prisons."This includes £10m on anti-drone measures such as exterior netting and reinforced windows," they added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
39 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Paramedic's brain tumour missed five times by doctors
A paramedic has said her brain tumour was missed five times by doctors. Hannah Lemanski, 24, thought she was experiencing symptoms of stress from shift work when she complained to medics about vomiting, headaches, and double vision. She first visited her GP in February 2023 after experiencing headaches and vision problems for two months, but was sent home with no answer and told her symptoms would be passed on to another doctor. On her fourth visit to the GP she was told she had a lazy eye. After a fifth visit to the eye assessment clinic, an MRI scan diagnosed her with central neurocytoma – a rare brain tumour which grows in the ventricles of the brain. She had 80 per cent of the tumour removed in surgery but two years on it is returning. Doctors recommended gamma-knife radiosurgery to shrink the mass but this is not funded by NHS England for her specific tumour type. The treatment is recognised by the NHS and used to treat various health conditions, including brain tumours, both benign and cancerous. She is now fundraising to get the treatment privately. Ms Lemanski, from Middlesborough, said she thought she was going to die when she was first told of her diagnosis. Her wedding to her now-husband, Przemek Lemanski, 34, who was delivering invitations at the time of the diagnosis, had to be delayed. She underwent surgery to remove 80 per cent of the tumour James Cook hospital in May 2023 and returned to work as a paramedic. During a routine scan in March 2025, she was told her tumour is returning. The NHS offers conventional radiotherapy, a destructive treatment which can lead to more cancer developing, but doctors told Hannah the most effective treatment is gamma-knife surgery – a non-invasive and highly targeted form of radiotherapy. But Ms Lemanski was told by The National Centre for Stereotactic Radiosurgery in Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital that they don't offer this treatment for her condition – and said NHS England does not commission funds for this treatment and her specific tumour type. She applied for individual funding, but this was rejected. She said: 'It's quite upsetting. You pay your taxes every month and you expect to be looked after when you need it. How can you not look after one of your own? 'Maybe if I wasn't someone who worked for the NHS, I might have just accepted the conventional radiotherapy route, which I think for anyone of a young age without cancer puts them at so much higher risk, especially when there's more effective treatments out there. 'I think it's quite discriminatory really, because I don't understand why someone's brain tumour is better than mine.' Her friend Becky Calpin, 32, has raised over £12,000 to help Ms Lemanski get private treatment, but it could cost up to £20,000. Becky said: 'Hannah is more than a paramedic – she's a bright, healthy, active young woman, married to her best friend and dreaming of starting a family. 'She's the kind of person who lights up every room – always smiling, always giving, always ready to help.' An NHS England spokesperson said: 'We understand the importance of making decisions quickly to avoid unnecessary distress and, where treatment isn't routinely funded, clinicians can submit an individual funding request if there are exceptional clinical reasons. 'The NHS funds specialist stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy for some cancers where there is evidence of a clinical benefit over standard treatments, as part of the personalised care provided for patients.'
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Third delay to ME care plan prompts backlash from patients
Health ministers have delayed a plan for the future treatment of the debilitating condition myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) for the third time in nine months. Work on the ME Delivery Plan — which the government claims will boost research, advance medical education and improve patients' lives — began more than three years ago under the Conservative health secretary, Sajid Javid. Labour ministers have repeatedly pledged to publish the plan and have yet to explain why it has been delayed. Last October the public health minister at the time, Andrew Gwynne, said the government planned to publish 'in the winter of 2024/25'. In December, responding to the inquest into the death of the ME patient, Maeve Boothby O'Neill, 27, the minister told a coroner 'we aim to publish by the end of March'. On June 5, Gwynne's successor, Ashley Dalton, said it was 'a priority for the department to publish the final ME delivery plan by the end of June 2025'. On Saturday, however, a health department spokesperson would only say the plan would be published 'shortly'. ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) affects at least 400,000 people in England and Wales. Many people with long Covid experience similar symptoms. The illness is characterised by extreme fatigue, disturbed sleep that does not bring rest and a flare-up of symptoms after even mild exertion (known as post exertional malaise). It is usually triggered by a viral infection and there is no proven cure or treatment. About 25 per cent of sufferers become severely ill with many housebound or bedbound. In a small number of cases patients die. The Times understands the ME initiative has been put on the back burner because the health secretary, Wes Streeting, is determined that nothing should distract from the promotion of his ten-year plan for the NHS. In a further blow to the hopes of ME patients, Streeting has also ruled out any new money for the delivery plan and rejected appeals for a ring-fenced fund to advance ME research. The plea for a specific funding resource was made in a letter signed by all 72 Liberal Democrat MPs. But the health secretary has written back saying ring fencing ME funding 'goes against our commitment to open competition to ensure transparency and scientific excellence'. His statement appears to contradict previous government awards such as the £50 million five-year commitment made in 2021 to finance research into Motor Neurone Disease while last year the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) called for proposals to address 'evidence gaps in liver disease research'. The NIHR is also running an 'open call' for a five-year research consortium to prevent cardiovascular disease. ME campaigners had lobbied for a similar scheme to build a research network and are surprised by Streeting's response. Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, said people with ME and their carers had been left behind for decades. 'They have faced inadequate care, scant research funding, no treatments and little hope of a better future,' she said. 'Further delay to the Delivery Plan for ME is inexcusable. People with ME are right to feel that improving this situation is not a priority for this government. The government must think again, publish the plan without delay and allocate it the resources it needs to make a real difference.' • Severely ill patient with ME begs for home feeding Sonya Chowdhury, of the charity Action for ME, said she was 'deeply dismayed' by another delay to the delivery plan: 'Just weeks ago, the minister gave a public commitment that the plan would be published by the end of June. This is now the third delay in nine months, and the government's language around publication has become increasingly vague. 'The ME community is once again left in the dark — with no clear timeline, no explanation, and growing doubt over whether the plan will appear at all. What message does this send to a group already fighting for basic recognition, where the most severely affected are so often the most neglected?' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Our thoughts are with all those whose lives have been touched by myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. We are committed to improving the care and support for all those affected and will publish a final delivery plan shortly.'
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Apprentice star axed from show in anti-Semitism storm is selling £29 sick notes on demand despite being suspended doctor
He also claimed people are "sick of feminism" in the West DOCTOR SHAME Apprentice star axed from show in anti-Semitism storm is selling £29 sick notes on demand despite being suspended doctor AN APPRENTICE star who was axed from the show after a string of complaints over anti-Semitic comments is now peddling £29 sick notes on demand. Disgraced Dr Asif Munaf was also suspended from the medical register after a series of anti-Semitic and sexist social media rants. Advertisement 4 Dr Asif Munaf was also suspended from the medical register after a series of anti-Semitic and sexist social media rants Credit: Instagram 4 Dr Asif was dropped by the BBC in 2024 after the comments emerged Credit: PA 4 His now defunct University of Masculinity website also came under fire for its controversial postings and retweeting posts by Andrew Tate Credit: Instagram/@drasifofficial He now runs Dr Sick Ltd, a company that offers same-day sick notes for as little as £29. Without any face-to-face or phone consultation, his company sold sick notes enabling customers five months off work for Covid, six weeks for anxiety over a sick pet, and four weeks of home working to enable them to go on holiday abroad. All requests were granted within a few hours, according to The Telegraph. The axed Apprentice star, 37, told the newspaper: "I don't issue the medical notes – I run the business. Advertisement "Dr Sick Ltd is an ICO-registered, UK-based digital service with a team of five fully GMC-registered UK doctors who issue fit notes in accordance with HIPAA-aligned guidelines." Because he has been suspended by the GMC, he is not allowed to practise medicine or present himself as a medical doctor. In 2024, The BBC took the decision to drop the former NHS doctor turned wellness business owner and aspiring online 'guru' from the Apprentice after receiving complaints about his conduct from the Board of Deputies of British Jews. The Sun previously revealed how the Sheffield-born doctor had come under fire for anti-Semitism and accusations of misogyny before the series kicked off. Advertisement Complaints had been sent to the BBC, including directly to Director General Tim Davie as well as its chairman, Samir Shah, over a social media post. Dr Asif made reference to a "godless, satanic cult [of Zionists]" before asking his followers: "Have you ever met even a semi-average looking Zionist? Aren't they all odiously ogre-like?" The BBC are understood to have discovered his shocking comments after filming on The Apprentice had completed. His now defunct University of Masculinity website also came under fire for its controversial postings and retweeting posts by Andrew Tate. Advertisement In one vile post about women, he reportedly asked: 'Have you ever met a beautiful feminist?' While a video on his Instagram account is said to have been titled "Don't Trust What Women Say." The former NHS doc launched University of Masculinity — Muslim Passport Bros to pair 'professional brothers of the UK' with women in North Africa. It emerged a week after he was accused of anti-Semitic comments online. Advertisement He said in a video: 'A lot of brothers have got sick of feminism in the West generally. "Being in the corporate world as a woman all of your life, you are going to rub shoulders with a lot of men. "That is osmosis — you are going to absorb a lot of masculine ideals in terms of competitiveness, being blunt — it is a real problem in the UK." Responding - before the series began - to concerns about Asif's postings, a spokesperson on behalf of The Apprentice said: 'After filming had taken place, we were made aware of concerns over social media posts that Asif had made after he had left the process. As soon as we were alerted, we took immediate action and spoke to Asif in detail on this. Advertisement 'Asif took part in specialised training to understand why his posts may cause offence. We are committed to providing an inclusive environment on and off screen.' Dr Asif said at the time: 'I apologise for any offence caused by my online content/social media. "It was not my intention to offend anyone, and I am of course open to all views. The beliefs I hold and have shared are based on the values that I was brought up with.' 4 Dr Asif Munaf, Paul Bowen and Phil Turner on the Apprentice Credit: PA
