© Tom Blewitt & Zack Griffiths – HMP Prisons Justice Group
G4S-run HMP Oakwood has been heavily criticised after an investigation found that a prisoner who later died from terminal pancreatic cancer received care that was “not of an adequate standard”.
Mark Jones, 54, died in a hospice on June 14, 2025, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer which had spread to other parts of his body.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found that healthcare staff at Oakwood saw Mr Jones ten times between April 22 and April 27, yet there was “little evidence” that staff properly reviewed his previous medical records or considered his worsening symptoms as a whole.
Mr Jones had reported vomiting, black stools, stomach pain and chest pain. On April 24, he told a nurse he had been vomiting every 30 minutes.
Despite those repeated warnings, Mr Jones was not taken to hospital until April 27 after his condition deteriorated.
Even then, a medical emergency was initially stood down after a paramedic attended, with a decision made that he did not require an ambulance at that stage.
Hours later, with Mr Jones still unwell, an ambulance was finally called.
He was later diagnosed with a bowel obstruction before scans revealed pancreatic cancer which had possibly spread to his liver, alongside a blocked artery in his gut.
The clinical reviewer concluded that earlier intervention would not have changed Mr Jones’ eventual outcome, but said it could have prevented or reduced the distress and anxiety he suffered before being admitted to hospital.
The Ombudsman also criticised what happened during Mr Jones’ final weeks.
He was moved to a hospice for end-of-life care on May 21 but remained under a two-officer bed watch.
His sister told investigators that she and her dying brother were denied privacy because officers remained present throughout, significantly affecting the precious final weeks they had together.
An application for early release on compassionate grounds was submitted on May 28, but Mr Jones died without a decision ever being made.
The Ombudsman found that Oakwood should also have considered Release on Temporary Licence on medical grounds while the compassionate release application was ongoing.
The report said this could have preserved Mr Jones’ dignity and allowed his family some privacy during his final weeks.
For a prison run by one of the biggest private security companies in the country, the findings make grim reading.
A seriously ill man was seen repeatedly by healthcare staff, reported alarming symptoms, was eventually diagnosed with terminal cancer and still spent his final weeks under guard in a hospice while a compassionate release decision remained outstanding.
The Ombudsman has recommended that the Governor ensures staff understand the rules around medical Release on Temporary Licence and introduces a robust process so applications are made when appropriate.
Mr Jones was the 19th prisoner to die at HMP Oakwood since June 2022, according to the report. The Ombudsman said the previous deaths were from natural causes and that no similarities had been identified with Mr Jones’ death.
An inquest held on August 17, 2026 concluded that Mr Jones died from natural causes.
But the Ombudsman’s findings leave G4S and HMP Oakwood facing serious questions over how Mr Jones was treated before that death — and why repeated opportunities to recognise the seriousness of his condition apparently failed to result in earlier hospital treatment.
HMP Prisons Justice Group 