Prison officer snapped lounging on hospital bed while an inmate received treatment in hospital
A SENIOR prison officer has been caught lounging on a hospital bed when he was on duty during the hospital escort of a medium security inmate. The incident comes a year after a convicted murderer made a dash for freedom while being treated in hospital.
NSW
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A SENIOR prison officer has been caught lounging on a bed while on duty during the hospital escort of a medium-security inmate.
The incident happened one year after convicted murderer Neddy Smith made a dash for freedom while being treated at Prince of Wales Hospital as an on-duty prison officer snoozed nearby.
The officer involved in the latest prison officer embarrassment has been formally warned for “inappropriate behaviour” at Dubbo Base Hospital as an inmate received treatment.
The incidents have triggered calls from the prison union for jails to have better on-site medical care to avoid the need to hospitalise inmates with non-serious ailments.
The state Opposition has also questioned the impact of the security lapses on the safety of patients in public hospitals.
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The latest breach occurred on July 18 when Wellington Correction Centre officer Timothy Thornton was on a hospital escort of inmate Mervyn Dennis.
A photograph snapped of Mr Thornton during the escort shows him lying down on a hospital bed with his eyes looking closed as Dennis, who is not in the frame but was cuffed at the time, is treated on an adjacent bed.
Dennis was being treated in a public ward, with Mr Thornton accompanied by a second officer.
It can also be revealed an inmate escaped from John Hunter Hospital, with two casual prison officers on duty at the time recently being fined after a review by the department’s Professional Standards Branch.
One of the officers broke her leg while running after the inmate, who was later recaptured by police after hiding in the bushes. It is understood one of the officers had been on the phone at the time.
A prison source said inmates requiring medical treatment were escorted to Long Bay Hospital or an annex of Prince of Wales Hospital, with others taken to nearby hospitals.
“They get put in a room away from incoming patients … the only thing that they have as a security measure is an armed officer,” the source said. “If your officers aren’t vigilant, then bad luck.”
The prison union seized on the incidents to push for improvements to medical care being offered to inmates at each jail.
Public Service Association industrial officer Dave McCauley said the lack of on-site registered nurses meant officers were being forced to escort inmates to hospital.
“Prison officers are escorting inmates to hospital each day, and in many cases it is for things that do not require hospital treatment,” he said.
A department spokeswoman said the incident follows three attempted and one successful escape of prisoners during hospital escorts last year.
She said the officer had been issued with a formal warning for “acting inappropriately” while on duty.
“A correctional officer has been issued a formal warning from management at Wellington Correctional Centre after acting inappropriately during a hospital escort last month,” she said.
“The inmate was a medium-security inmate and had handcuffs and ankle cuffs during his medical treatment. At no time was there a risk to the safety and security of the public.”
State Opposition health spokesman Walt Secord said NSW Health protocols relating to inmates in hospitals required “patients in custody are not to be left unsupervised or unescorted at any time”.
“Corrections NSW should not be compromising the safety of NSW patients and staff,” he said.