Wayne Bayley: Black man with sickle cell disease died ‘naked and alone’ in cell after complaining of breathing difficulties

The family of a Black sickle cell patient who died “naked and alone” in prison after a medical crisis have described their pain as an inquest found that neglect was a contributing factor.

Wayne Bayley was found unresponsive in a cell on the healthcare unit at HMP Pentonville on 17 May 2022, ten hours after being restrained by prison officers in response to him raising concerns about being placed in a dirty cell, an inquest heard.

The 43-year-old had diagnoses of sickle cell disease, epilepsy and delusional disorder, and a jury found that he died of acute chest syndrome – the most common fatal complication of sickle cell – caused by the restraint.

Mr Bayley was moved to a segregated cell, subject to a forcible strip search which involved his clothes being cut off and left naked for seven hours.

The nurse responsible for monitoring his physical health during and after the restraint failed to address his stark deterioration and in particular did not take vital observations which an expert haematologist considered would have confirmed that the restraint had triggered a sickle cell crisis requiring urgent hospital treatment which would have saved his life.

Instead, without considering Mr Bayley’s medical records which identified his sickle cell disease, she referred him for assessment by a mental health nurse.

After seven hours in segregation, he was transferred to the prison’s healthcare for a mental health assessment.

On the way, the patient was so frail he collapsed to his knees and had to be transported in a wheelchair.

Following his arrival, despite telling healthcare staff he could not breathe and asking to see a doctor, vital observations were again not taken in breach of protocol and no other care was given.

Three hours later, Mr Bayley was found unresponsive and pronounced dead a short while after.

Last week, the inquest jury considering Mr Bayley’s death returned a conclusion that was highly critical of both prison and healthcare, revealing that several serious failures in basic medical attention contributed to his death.

Survived by his parents, six siblings and extended relatives, Mr Bayley is described as being a “loving’ and “protective” man who endured many challenges.

“In the two and a half years since Wayne passed, we have lived with the knowledge that Wayne spent much of his last day not believed, naked, alone, unwell and without any medical treatment, despite having well-documented serious chronic health conditions,” his family said.

“We very much hope that lessons learned from Wayne’s death lead to meaningful changes in the way that vulnerable people with long-term health conditions are cared for whilst in prison, both generally but particularly in circumstances involving restraint, so that others do not have to experience the pain of knowing their love one’s death could have been so easily avoided.”

Mr Bayley’s relatives highlighted how much they had to “fight” for answers following Mr Bayley’s death, partly due to a lack of awareness of sickle cell disease and regard for patients’ wellbeing.

The Londoner’s initial post-mortem gave the medical cause of death as “unascertained” because sickle cell disease and its complications are still not properly understood, his family said.

“We therefore had to fight even to get that fundamental question answered and it was only in the course of the inquest itself that we got confirmation of what we always suspected: that the restraint by prison officers caused Wayne to suffer a sickle cell crisis which he would have survived if he had received the most basic care”.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited long-term and potentially life-threatening condition which predominantly affects Black people, with around 15,000 people in England thought to live with the illness.

It causes debilitating pain and multiple problems such as severe infections, strokes, chronic fatigue, delayed growth, and progressive tissue and organ damage.

Patients and campaigners have long decried a lack of awareness around the illness in the UK, as well as issues with substandard care for those affected.

Ellie Cornish of Hickman & Rose, who represents the family, said: “On the day he died, the treatment Wayne received from prison and healthcare staff was characterised by a profound lack of professional curiosity, common sense and humanity.”

The INQUEST charity described the case as “a damning indictment of our prisons today”, calling upon the government to publicly respond to this case.