Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Accepted
Probation Service faces persistent high staff turnover and sickness rates due to mental ill health.
Conclusion
MoJ and HMPPS stated that they were focussing on improving staff retention as well as recruiting more staff. In the year ending March 2025, the leaving rate for probation staff was 9.3%, up from 6.2% in 2021, and sickness rate was 13.2 working days, up from 8.9 in 2021. Poor mental ill health accounted for the largest proportion of working days lost, 41% for all HMPPS staff and 58% for probation officers.31 HMPPS agreed that “it would be futile” to “hugely recruit just to see people leaving”. It told us that the most recent statistics suggest that there has been an improvement in retention rates, for example, the overall leaving rate for probation went down to 8.5% for the 12 months to the end of September 2025, one percentage point lower than for the year to March 2025.32 30 RPS002; RPS003; RPS004 31 C&AG’s Report, para 2.6; HM Prison & Probation Service, HM Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: March 2025 32 Qq 38,42; HM Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: March 2025 13 2 Future of probation services HMPPS’s Our Future Probation Service (OFPS)
Government Response Summary
HMPPS is committed to addressing the high workloads faced by probation staff and has launched the "Our Future Probation Service Programme (OFPS)" with the primary objective to reduce workloads by 25% by April 2027, with Justice Transcribe on track for national roll out by April 2026.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
3. PAC conclusion: Longstanding staff shortages have left probation staff dealing with excessive and unmanageable workloads. 3a. PAC recommendation: HMPPS should, in its Treasury Minute response, set out: • when and how it expects to be able to provide clarity to staff on when their workloads will reduce to acceptable levels; and … 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 3.2 HMPPS is committed to addressing the high workloads faced by probation staff. The “Our Future Probation Service Programme (OFPS)” was launched with the primary objective to reduce workloads by 25% by April 2027. OFPS is already delivering against that aim, with Justice Transcribe on track for national roll out by April 2026. 3.3 During March and April 2026, HMPPS plans to share more detail with staff and stakeholders, via internal communications channels, governance and stakeholder engagement forums, on the wider package of measures to improve productivity and reduce workloads.