Altcourse inmate told he had 'chest infection' claims he 'nearly died'

A SPOKESPERSON FOR SODEXO SAID "WE AREN’T ABLE TO COMMENT ON INDIVIDUALS" 04:00, 17 May 2025 A man claimed he was "neglected" in his HMP Altcourse cell for days with

"life-threatening" sepsis after staff refused his pleas for help. Robert Gilfoyle claimed nurses at the prison told him he had a chest infection while staff members responding to

his cell bell calls said he had to "deal with it". Mr Gilfoyle had been sent to the category B private prison in Fazakerley after he was convicted of criminal damage last year. He

told the ECHO in June 2024 he had recently been moved from the induction wing into a normal cell when he started to feel ill. The 26-year-old from Moreton said he "couldn't see out

of his left eye" so clicked his call bell for assistance but was told by the nurse he had a chest infection. Speaking this week to the ECHO, Mr Gilfoyle said: "I had no idea how

that could be the case given the pain was in my face. "I got a new pad mate and he said 'who hit you'. My face had swelled up so much it looked like I had been punched. I

clicked my bell but was refused to be let out." Mr Gilfoyle told the ECHO his face had begun to swell on a Friday morning, but over the weekend he was kept in his cell and

"neglected" by the staff. He claimed he clicked his call bell "at least five or six times a day" over the weekend but nothing was done by nurses or prison officers when

they attended. He added: "I was throwing up blood and was told to just deal with it. I did not eat for four days. I felt like my body was shutting down. It was horrific. "I

couldn't sleep for four days. I was dripping with sweat but was shivering because I was so cold. I nearly died. It was terrifying - I've never felt so scared." Mr Gilfoyle

told the ECHO he was seen by a nurse on Monday - after spending the weekend in his cell - and was rushed to Aintree University Hospital. He said: "I was told it was going to be a six

hour wait but they saw me and I was triaged and admitted within 10 minutes because my condition was life-threatening." IF YOU ARE A FORMER PRISONER AT EITHER HMP ALTCOURSE OR HMP

LIVERPOOL, OR YOU HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER CURRENTLY AT ONE OF THE PRISONS, PLEASE EMAIL YOUR STORIES TO THE ECHO'S CRIME REPORTER AT [email protected]. Mr Gilfoyle said instead

of a chest infection he was told he had sepsis, which came from an abscess in his mouth that burst while he slept. He added he remained in hospital for around 10 days while his treatment

continued. The inmate served nine months in prison, all in HMP Altcourse. He said when he returned back to the prison population after his stint in hospital his "treatment was

amazing" and claimed it was because the staff realised their mistakes in the care not previously provided to him. He described prison as "not nice, as you just get left alone until

you are let out to go for food". He added he was released from prison around two months ago and will "100% never go back again". The ECHO put all of Mr Gilfoyle's claims

to Sodexo - the company that operates six prisons in the UK including Altcourse. A spokesperson for Sodexo said in response: "Unfortunately we aren’t able to comment on

individuals." Article continues below HMP Altcourse has not been inspected by HM Prisons Inspectorate since Sodexo took over the running of the jail from G4S. The inspectors assessed in

November 2021 that safety outcomes were not "sufficiently good", which was a deterioration since the previous inspection. The inspectors previously noted staffing challenges had a

detrimental impact on the delivery of primary care, mental health and pharmacy services. However, they found the health care practitioners were "competent (and) interacted well with

patients".