Dad died days after being released early from HMP Liverpool

Alan Blake died at the age of 56 A dad died in hospital just 11 days after being released from prison early to help ease issues of overcrowding. Alan Blake was convicted for taking drugs and a phone into a prison on July 13, 2023 and he was sentenced to 27 months in prison before he was taken to HMP Altcourse and then onto HMP Berwyn. The 56-year-old died 12 months later on July 14, 2024, when he was released from prison early under the End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme which allowed for prisoners to be released up to 70 days early to ease overcrowding in prisons.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has now published a report into his death. The report, published on April 17 this year, said Blake had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which cases damage to the lungs or airways. On December 4 2023, he complained to staff how he had back pain for two weeks before a scan revealed he had a lump on his spine.



His pain continued and, after being transferred to HMP Kirkham, he was found to have missed several medical appointments. During his time at HMP Kirkham, Blake also claimed he struggled to collect food from the kitchen in the prison due to it being far away from his cell, as a result a fellow prisoner was assigned to him as a "buddy" who would drop off food to his cell. In May, a blood test found that Blake had tested positive for cocaine, opiates, cannabis, ketamine and prescription medication which had not been prescribed to him.

Officers also found codeine in his cell which had not been prescribed, with the prisoner telling staff he had self-medicated in an attempt to ease his back pain. This led to him being transferred to HMP Liverpool and found to be underweight. In the weeks that followed, his continued pain and weight loss resulted in a GP requesting an urgent blood test in June 2024.

The ombudsman wrote: "On 18 June, Mr Blake went to hospital for a chest X-ray. "On 21 June, following the results of Mr Blake’s X-ray healthcare staff suspected that Mr Blake might also have lung cancer and referred him to the respiratory team under the two-week wait rule. On 24 June, Mr Blake told staff his pain had increased.

"He was reviewed by a GP and his pain relief medication increased. On 26 June, Mr Blake moved to the inpatient unit at Liverpool. On 28 June, a GP saw Mr Blake who said he had been coughing up blood and had severe back pain which was radiating down both legs.

Staff took Mr Blake to hospital where he was admitted. "A family liaison officer was assigned and contacted Mr Blake’s next of kin who visited him in hospital. On 1 July, hospital staff diagnosed Mr Blake with lung cancer.

" Blake was released from prison on July 3 but he remained in hospital until his death on July 14, 2024. Throughout the course of Blake's time in prison in 2024, there were continued attempts for him to be released, but a suitable address was never found by the prison. His post-mortem found that Blake died from died from complications of metastatic lung carcinoma.

The ombudsman, Adrian Usher, found that HMP Liverpool's care was equivalent to what he would have received in the community and staff reacted promptly to his concerns about collecting his meals. The ombudsman said Mr Blake’s daughter told the PPO that her dad had not eaten for 16 days, but there was no record of this. The report added: "Evidence suggests that, once aware of his difficulties, staff acted promptly in getting Mr Blake’s meals taken to him and healthcare staff prescribed him fortified meals and nutritional supplements to try and lessen his weight loss and ensure that he was adequately nourished.

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