25 year old Toni Asik, a trans man, tragically died while in the care of Sodexo Limited, the private company running HMP Bronzefield. Toni, was consistently misgendered and mistreated by staff at the prison. Despite repeatedly disclosing that he was suicidal, he was placed in the prison’s “healthcare” unit, a wing known for housing women with severe mental health issues, rather than being given appropriate support.
This so-called healthcare unit, run by CNWL NHS Foundation Trust, is notorious for neglect, dirty conditions, and dehumanising treatment across their four locations. Women in crisis have reported being held like animals in cages, ignored when they cry for help, and forced to resort to dirty protests to have their voices heard.
There is no 24-hour healthcare provision at Bronzefield. Despite promises on Sodexo’s website, there is no resident GP after 7pm. The prison healthcare system is understaffed and mismanaged. Clinical leads, Harriet Tizzard and Dave Wilkinson, are under investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), and the GP Dr Omar Welehey is being investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC) for failures in providing appropriate care and misunderstanding what “parity of healthcare” really means, namely, that prisoners should receive the same standard of care as they would in the community.
Toni’s death is not an isolated case. Prisoners with serious health conditions at Bronzefield are consistently gaslit, lied to, and denied reasonable adjustments. This is not healthcare. It is neglect.
Despite CNWL recently being awarded over £8 million in NHS prison contracts, women at Bronzefield still struggle to access basic GP appointments. Why was Toni left alone in his cell for hours despite sounding his alarm? Why were emergency services delayed yet again? Surrey Ambulance Service has already raised serious safeguarding concerns about access routes into the prison, but nothing changes.
Following Toni’s death, Bronzefield’s Deputy Director Angie Dench, a former police officer, and Head of Residential Christine Morrison delivered self-congratulatory speeches to staff, praising their response. This performance stands in stark contrast to the brutal reality experienced by those inside.
The supposed investigation by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman (PPO), led by Adrian Usher, offers little hope. Prisoners’ complaints often don’t even reach the right facility, and the system lacks the independence or competence to hold anyone truly accountable.
To make matters worse, just 24 hours after Toni’s death, another inmate, Tracy Dyke, was found unresponsive in House Block 1, a detox unit. Two deaths in two days. How many more?
Toni’s friends, still grieving, were further traumatised when a prison officer, identified as Officer Perry on House Block 2, was heard loudly singing “Beautiful girls”, (‘you make me suicidal) , in a way that was cruel and triggering. This kind of behaviour demands immediate investigation for misconduct in public office.
We are calling for an urgent inquiry, an end to Sodexo’s contract, and a complete overhaul of how we treat women and trans people, in custody. Bronzefield is not a place of rehabilitation or care. It is a place of systemic neglect and state-sanctioned trauma.
If you have information about conditions at HMP Bronzefield, please email: admin@theviewmagazine.org. We are determined to expose the truth and shut this facility down.
Join our Bronzefield Action Group to hold the government to account enough public money has been wasted on this failing provider.
Toni’s death must not be in vain.
