Erlestoke

What immediate solution can be offered to those prisoners desperate to move on with their sentence plan but who have been waiting to transfer to category D prisons, some for more than two years?

The availability of category D spaces was affected by the requirement to close a number of accommodation blocks in the open estate over the course of 2021 which no longer met statutory fire safety standards. The impact on the overall open estate has been managed by replacing some of these places, particularly in the south, with existing temporary accommodation which was already on some sites as part of our Covid-19 contingencies. Other sites were managed with new temporary accommodation.
We are investing £3.8 billion over the next three years to deliver 20,000 additional modern prison places across England and Wales by the mid-2020s. This portfolio of work includes expansion of the category D estate at a number of sites across the country with the creation of 660 additional places.
The removal of Covid-19 reverse cohorting requirements has resulted in a significant increase in the numbers of prisoners being able to progress to open conditions in recent months. However, I recognise that issues with the availability of category D spaces persist, alongside the challenges posed by national transportation resources. Despite this 89% of moves to category D establishments have been facilitated from HMP Erlestoke and the situation will ease further as the new open prison places become available.

What targets have been set to reduce the number of IPP prisoners so some hope can be given to such prisoners at Erlestoke, over 10% of the population, several of whom are many years over their original sentence tariff?

I acknowledge the Board’s continued concerns about prisoners serving Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection (IPP). Our main priority must always be to protect the public. I would like, however, to reassure you HM Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) remain committed to doing all it can to support the progression of those serving IPP sentences and efforts to reduce their risk, to the point where the Parole Board determines that they may be safely released. Our commitment to the IPP action plan continues. This includes the delivery of specialist progression regimes that give prisoners a chance to develop and test their ability to manage their risks and live in an environment of increasing freedoms and responsibilities.
The Progression Regime (PR) at HMP Erlestoke currently accommodates 60 prisoners. There are plans to increase this to 80 once the replacement of the Kennet Unit is available at the start of 2023. Although the PR is open to all prisoners serving life, indeterminate or extended determinate sentence, the aim is that 50% of prisoners on the PR programme will be IPP prisoners and that they are prioritised on the waiting list. The PR programme aims to work with prisoners to instil hope in those who have previously felt stuck or lost in the system and work with them to develop their progression relationships with Offender Management Units and Community Offender Managers. HMPPS has also introduced the role of PR ambassadors. These PR Ambassadors are existing stage three PR prisoners that play a role in the induction and referral process with eligible prisoners. They use their lived experience to encourage those struggling with motivation to engage with the PR. The delivery of the replacement for Kennet Unit. will facilitate additional opportunities for prisoners to demonstrate a reduction in risk and this will undoubtedly assist a number of them with their sentence progression.

What plans exist to address the chronic national shortage of accommodation for those prisoners with complex mental health needs who cannot be adequately cared for in a normal prison environment?

The pathway into secure beds is complex and the responsibility and provision of all levels of services sits within NHS England’s Specialised Commissioning team. Transfers were further impacted during the pandemic as there were closures within the mental health hospital estate due to positive Covid-19 cases. To address these issues, NHS England has developed a new process for collecting and monitoring data on transfers and remissions. This allows analysis to identify trends and areas where further improvement is needed to meet the 28-day timeframe set out in the guidance. This will be monitored on a monthly basis and where time frames are breached or other concerning trends identified, targeted work will be carried out with regional teams. NHS England will be keeping this under review based on monthly monitoring data and take stock of progress after twelve months. At HMP Erlestoke, the healthcare provider and prison staff will continue working with key stakeholders to ensure prisoner access to secure hospital beds.

When will the daily food budget allowance set over five years ago be reviewed, given that food prices have risen more than 20% over the past two years?

Prison Governors have the authority to determine how they spend the overall non-pay budget for their prison, and this includes the daily food budget. Prison Rules require that prisoners are provided with three meals a day that are varied and nutritious and that meet the religious, cultural and medical needs of all. HMPPS will continue to work closely with the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities, adhering to Government guidelines on eating healthy meals. At HMP Erlestoke, the catering team is working diligently to maintain the quality and breadth of the food offering. Inflationary pressures on food are inconsistent across the products procured and the prison is not seeking to reduce portion sizes. Governors ultimately use their discretion to determine how much is specifically allocated from within their budget for food.

What is the revised timetable for completing the replacement of the residential wings, given there have been several delays and missed deadlines, so prisoners can benefit from the progression regime being in one location?

Kennet and Avebury wings have been demolished, and in their place twenty-four Bunkabin units have been made available. A further sixty-six places are being delivered by the Rapid Deployment Cells Project, scheduled to complete in December 2022. This will result in a net increase of ten places to the establishment’s Operational Capacity. As mentioned in the Minister’s letter, the new Kennet Unit is scheduled to be available for occupation by 1 January 2023 and proposed to accommodate forty Stage Three Progression Regime prisoners. The new accommodation will be supplemented by the prisoner self-catering facilities and the prisoner’s shop, which has been maintained from the original Kennet Unit.

How will the Prison Service ensure the infrastructure and support mechanisms are enhanced to cope with the increase in the population of the prison when Kennet and Avebury wings are functioning?

The population is projected to increase by ten from the prison’s original operational capacity of 524 after the new Kennet and Avebury Units are delivered. This is not expected to have a significant impact on healthcare capacity. The Healthcare Building was significantly updated in 2018/19 at a considerable expense to the establishment’s budget. To enable a further increase to the population in future years, all infrastructure and facilities will need to be reconsidered and any upgrades or additions would be part of any future new-build capacity costs.

What actions will be taken to ensure cells are routinely locked and clearance occurs efficiently during internal transfers to prevent property loss?

What is the timetable to attain the key working delivery levels experienced by prisoners prior to the pandemic?

What targets are in place to increase the number of prisoners being able to complete offending behaviour programmes?

What steps will be taken to increase the number of meaningful job opportunities for prisoners?

What plans are in place to accelerate the opening of the dormant textile workshop given the significant investment in building such a new facility?

What actions will be taken to develop managers and frontline staff to increase supervision and confidence so that staff/prisoner relationships improve?

How will the lack of availability and quality of distraction packs be addressed?

How will the lack of suitably adapted cells for disabled people be addressed?

Over 40% of first assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) reviews do not have the benefit of healthcare input, which impacts on the safety of prisoners – how will this issue be addressed?

The healthcare provider has confirmed that they attend all ACCT reviews that they are invited to. It appears the primary reason for non-attendance is when the ACCT reviews happen out of the healthcare provider’s core hours. ACCT reviews are required to be undertaken within 24 hours of opening, as per policy, therefore if this falls out of core hours healthcare staff will be unable to be part of the initial review process.
The Senior Management Team (SMT) Performance Meeting will monitor the attendance of healthcare staff at ACCT reviews. The Health and Wellbeing Lead will work in collaboration with the heads of Safer Custody and Healthcare to ensure attendance at initial ACCT reviews increases. Oversight of this information at the SMT meeting will enable analysis of trends and any required action to be taken. The number of out-of-hours reviews will be captured as part of the Performance Meeting data.

What is the solution to improve the IT infrastructure so medical records can be accessed across the estate to ensure prisoners are not put at risk?

A faster connection (fibre optic) was installed in May 2022. Laptops are now available but some technical issues persist and this is due to the signal at HMP Erlestoke. This cannot be resolved without hardwired cabling.
The healthcare contract recently went through a re-tendering process. As part of the re-commissioning process, due from October 2022, updated IT will be installed to enable a connection to the provider’s systems, which will include a review of the IT cabling into reception. In the interim, a business case has been raised by the healthcare team to facilitate cabling from their building to reception and the prison is awaiting confirmation of when this will take place. To ensure the healthcare team are available to meet privately with new prisoners, a laptop with the SystmOne software installed is being utilised to undertake initial screenings in reception.