Health staff at Cumbria's prison are leading the way in national excellence.

More than half of the 10 nursing staff at HMP Haverigg have now completed advanced life support training, giving up their own time to study.

This is far more than in other UK prisons, meaning the county is setting a national example in terms of the care it provides.

Staff nurses Ellen Watkiss and Ryan Tallentire are among two of the latest staff to complete the addition training.

Their efforts saw the duo, and their team, named winners of a recent Glimpse of Brilliance award - a staff recognition scheme run by the local NHS to celebrate success stories from across the area.

The staff member who nominated them said: “There is significant training and studying leading up to the course which staff complete in their own time.

"The two-day course itself is very intense and requires unwavering concentration and determination. I think this alone demonstrates the commitment the team at Haverigg have for patients and continuous service improvement."

The nomination said that two other staff were due to complete the training last month, meaning the majority of the nursing team would soon have the advanced life support qualification.

"This is a gold standard that is not seen in other prisons and another marker that the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) are a leading centre for excellence," it added.

Healthcare services at HMP Haverigg are provided by the Cumbria Partnership, which runs many of the county's community and mental health services.

The NHS administration team at Haverigg also received recent praised, being highly commended in the trust's Amazing People Recognition Awards.

This came after they reviewed their discharge process, to ensure the safe and effective transfer of patients from prison health services to community care.