Immigration Enforcement handled detainee's complaint about care and treatment poorly

What happened

During his detention, IE transferred Mr H to a new location, but did not give him any bedding at the new site. Mr H suffered chest pains and palpitations during his detention, but had to sleep on a top bunk, which he said made him dizzy and his medical problems worse.

This was after staff had told him he would be given a bottom bunk. Healthcare staff did not regularly record his blood pressure, even though an independent doctor had asked them to do so. Also, staff did not carry out the electrocardiogram (ECG) ordered by the doctor at the immigration removal centre.

Mr H complained about these matters, but the responses IE gave did not satisfy him, so he asked us to investigate.

What we found

There were excessive delays in the consideration of Mr H's complaint and the complaint handling was poor. IE's responses to Mr H did not address his complaints. We gave IE a chance to give Mr H further explanations and apologies to put this right, but it decided not to do so. There were also problems finding Mr H's medical records, which caused further delays.

IE gave Mr H no information about how bedding was given when a person moved location and no explanation or apology for the delay in giving him a bottom bunk. Also, it did not apologise for failing to monitor his blood pressure and for not carrying out the ECG.

Putting it right

We recommended that IE give Mr H a full acknowledgement of, and apology for, the failings identified in our report, and a sum of £500 as compensation for the delays and the additional distress and worry caused by its poor handling of the complaint.

We also recommended that it works with the healthcare provider at the immigration removal centre to develop and implement an action plan that describes what it has done to make sure that lessons have been learnt from the failings identified by this complaint, to avoid these failings happening again, and to make sure that detainee medical records are kept in accordance with national standards and guidelines. We also recommended that it sets out how it will handle complaints and co-ordinate responses in future, bearing in mind the recommendations made in a report by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons.