A prisoner who had died of an undetected infection just days after his eyes suddenly turned yellow refused crucial tests which could have saved his life.
Philip Coudjoe, who was unknowingly infected with Hepatitis C, was taken to Forest Bank prison to await sentencing in April 2020 after being convicted of burglary.
The 57-year-old, who had a history of substance misuse and a diagnosed heart defect, was given an initial health screening during which he declined screening for blood-borne viruses.
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During the exam, he was prescribed medication for anxiety and depression and put on methadone to help with his addiction.
A report published this month (February) by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) found that Mr Coudjoe did not have a second health assessment, owing to Covid restrictions in place during the first national lockdown.
Four months later, on August 3 2020, a healthcare assistant noticed that the prisoner’s eyes had turned yellow. After the GP was informed, Mr Coudjoe was given urgent blood tests and a cancer referral was made.
“The same day, Mr Coudjoe told healthcare staff that he suspected he had hepatitis C although he had never had blood-borne virus screening and had never been diagnosed,” the report added.
Two days later Mr Coudjoe complained of feeling ill, telling the nurse that he had been vomiting and couldn’t keep anything down.
Shortly after, he collapsed on his way to the healthcare centre and began bleeding.
The report said: “Healthcare staff tried to stabilise Mr Coudjoe until the ambulance arrived and took him to the intensive care unit at Salford Royal Hospital. Mr Coudjoe was not subject to restraints on his escort to hospital or while he was in hospital.”
His family were contacted and told that Mr Coudjoe’s condition was ‘critical’. He continued to deteriorate and died in hospital on August 10.
A post-mortem examination found that Mr Coudjoe died of gastrointestinal bleeding due to liver cancer caused by Hepatitis C.
Concluding, the PPO determined that the prisoner’s death was no fault of the prison or medical staff.
“The clinical reviewer concluded that the clinical care Mr Coudjoe received at HMP Forest Bank was good and equivalent to that which he could have expected to receive in the community and made no recommendations,” it said. “We did not find any non-clinical issues of concern.”
