Nurses pulled out of prison over Spice poisoning fears

NHS nurses were ordered to stop treating ill prisoners over fears they could be in danger of being poisoned by the dangerous drug Spice.

The warning came after as many as 15 prison officers became ill after breathing in fumes of the drug, which can leave users in a zombie-like state.

Spice has flooded prisons and use is thought to have increased since smoking tobacco was banned in January last year. The problem became so bad last year that Tees, Esk & Wear Valley NHS Trust, which provides care at prisons in the North East, withdrew its services to HMP Holme House in Co Durham over fears staff would either inhale fumes or be attacked by prisoners high on the drug.

In August last year, the 1,200-capacity prison was put in lockdown by Chris Dyer, the governor, after between 10 and 15 prison officers fell ill in one day from inhaling Spice smoke.

Staff had to be called in from other jails to help search the building for the drug because so many prison officers at Holme House were left incapacitated.

Andy Baxter, the head of the prison’s union, said: “Staff reported feeling dizzy, getting a blinding headache. A couple have been quite hysterical. One officer said he got a fierce burning sensation in his head, which felt like it was covered with nits. He spent the night tearing at the top of his head.”

A report into HMP Holme House published last week by inspectors from the Independent Monitoring Board, found that violent attacks on guards and other prisoners rose to 293 last year, with 376 inmates a year needing medical treatment after smoking Spice.

Lisa Taylor, the head of offender health at the trust, said: “It is absolutely crippling us within the prison estate.

“I’m not disputing that the safety of the prisoners is important, but my priority is to look after our staff. If we feel there is something going on in that environment we will remove our staff for a period of time.”

A Prison Service spokesman said: “More staff, new body scanners, extra sniffer dogs and a dedicated drug search team have been introduced at Holme House, which has already seen a drop in the level of drugs.”