Northumberland

I note the Board remains concerned about the lack of mental health support for prisoners with serious mental health conditions and long waits to access secure inpatient treatment in a mental health hospital. NHS England recognises that there have been some challenges associated to the availability of mental health staff at HMP Northumberland. Spectrum and their sub-contractor Tees, Esk and Wear Valley’s Mental Health Trust have submitted a business case to increase the overall staffing levels in healthcare, including several additional dedicated mental health posts. NHS England is confident that, subject to recruitment, this will provide better mental health support to the men at HMP Northumberland. Transfer delays continue to be escalated to the mental health Provider Collaboratives and Specialised Commissioners both regionally and nationally, given this is a widespread issue. The Director of HMP Northumberland attends the Clinical Governance Board to monitor the provision and this collaborative work helps to ensure prisoners get transferred to a secure bed as quickly as possible. There have been several local developments to Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork including upskilling managers as case coordinators, the introduction of a weekly Safety Intervention Meeting to provide an additional layer of governance around the management of self-harm risks and an increase in the provision of Listeners.

Turning to some positive comments helpfully captured in your report, it was encouraging to read HMP Northumberland is considered a safe prison and prisoners receive fair and humane treatment. It was also encouraging to hear about the good work linked to the partnership with Recruitment Junction supporting prisoners to find employment upon release and the creation of the Prison Employment Lead post.