At the time of his death, he was on remand charged with ‘violent offences’
A man died after receiving unsafe healthcare at HMP Bristol, a report has found(Image: BristolLive)
An inmate at Bristol Prison died after receiving unsafe healthcare when he fell ill on Christmas Eve, according to a newly-published report.
The report says the first nurse who assessed Lockleaze man Marc Uzzell when he fell ill with a rare form of pneumonia had acted in an unsafe manner by failing to escalate his symptoms to a senior.
At the time of his death, Uzzell was on remand charged with ‘violent offences’. He had previously been handed a two-year jail term for slashing Sainsbury’s workers with a knife during a shoplifting attempt in Stoke Gifford.
The agency nurse known only as Nurse A was the main subject of a scathing report from the Prisons & Probation Ombudsman into the death of Uzzell at HMP Bristol just after Christmas in 2022.
“The clinical reviewer concluded that the actions of the nurse who assessed Uzzell when he first reported symptoms of illness were unsafe and his clinical care was therefore only partly equivalent to that which he could have expected to receive in the community,” the report said.
“The nurse who first assessed Uzzell on December 24 did not record his clinical observations, or tell healthcare day staff that he was unwell during the morning handover. “This led to a delay in seeking appropriate treatment.”
A second nurse, who examined Uzzell at 9am on Christmas Day, reported the actions of her contemporary to the prison’s head of healthcare.
Uzzell was rushed to hospital shortly after the second nurse assessed him. He died on December 28, aged 42.
The report into Nurse A’s conduct said it was impossible to say if the delay in properly assessing Uzzell’s condition had caused his death.
“The failings meant that there were clear delays in Uzzell being appropriately assessed and treated when he first reported his symptoms,” the report said. “However, it is not possible to say if this contributed to the outcome.”
A scathing general report into the prison in 2023 declared Bristol one of the most unsafe jails in the country. In January 2025, figures revealed prison staff had been paid out nearly £250,000 in compensation over a five year period, mostly due to injuries sustained from attacks by inmates.
Along with the conduct of Nurse A, healthcare staff at the prison were slated for failing to record reasons for dispensing over the counter medication to Uzzell in the days running up to his death.
Oxleas NHS Foundation, the prison’s NHS healthcare provider, said the matter was referred to the Nurse A’s employing agency as a matter of urgency and that in the years since the incident a “competency framework” had been implemented by the hospital’s head of healthcare.
Fourteen prisoners died at HMP Bristol between December 2019 and January 2024. One of those deaths was the strangling murder of 38-year-old Dan Childs by repeat offender Michael Harkin.
The ombudsman’s report into Uzzell’s death repeated a criticism previously levelled at operational staff at HMP Bristol for failing to maintain accurate records and preserve documents.
“Record keeping by operational staff was poor in a number of areas and important documents were mislaid and unavailable for the investigation,” the PPSO report said. “Examples included omissions in documenting the emergency response; an electronic risk assessment; and contact with Uzzell’s family.”
A Prison Service spokesperson said improvements had been made since the investigation into Mr Uzzell’s death, which has only just been made public due to an inquest into the death finishing in June this year.
“We accepted all of the Ombudsman’s recommendations and took action in 2023 to ensure staff properly record key decisions and preserve important documents after a death in custody,” the spokesperson said.
“Since 2023, HMP Bristol has made significant improvements including boosting security, expanding support services, and improving rehabilitation to help reduce reoffending and make the prison safer.”