Wakefield

I acknowledge that the Board remains concerned about prisoners with severe mental health/behavioural disorders and the transfer time to an appropriate setting, and thank the Board for their continued work to support these prisoners. I am sorry if you feel your concerns are not being heard and can assure you Ministers do take your concerns very seriously. A white paper titled, Reforming the Mental Health Act, was published on 13 January 2021, which builds on recommendations made by Professor Sir Simon Wessely’s Independent Review in 2018. The white paper provides a commitment to take forward the Review’s recommendation to introduce a statutory time limit of 28 days for transfers to mental health hospitals when someone becomes unwell in custody, or experiences a relapse in an existing condition. Although this issue currently remains a national problem, with continued delays in expediting transfers, particularly to high security hospitals, I am pleased the position has improved during 2020/21 in the Yorkshire and the Humber prisons. This improvement and reduction in delays has been achieved by NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) through a more rigorous approach to monitoring and escalating delays and robustly addressing other barriers, such as disagreements of security requirements. HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and NHSE&I continue to work together, along with providers of secure mental health to expedite transfers wherever possible and to ensure patients are remitted back to prison as soon as possible after they complete treatment. Further guidance has also been issued to ensure arrangements are not impacted adversely by Covid-19.

There is no doubt that hard-working prison officers play a crucial role in keeping prisons safe and transforming offenders’ lives, ultimately making sure the public is protected. This work is very much appreciated, and we recognise the need to retain motivated staff in a safe, decent and secure environment. As stated in the letter of 9 March from Michelle Jarman-Howe, Chief Operating Officer Prisons (COO), the safety and welling of staff during the Covid-19 pandemic is paramount. Although financial constraints as a result of Covid-19 have prevented any improvement to staff facilities during the past year, HMP Wakefield have prioritised staff care team availability and ensured a care team member is available during the week, with any themes or issues fed back to the Deputy Governor. As a gesture of appreciation early in the pandemic, free Barista coffee was provided to staff, and the senior management team also cooked breakfast for the staff on two days. In addition, a series of events were held in November/December as part of staff wellbeing weeks. With HMP Wakefield being of Victorian design, retrospective improvements to the ventilation are not straightforward, but where particular issues are identified, Prison Maintenance Group (PMG) will work to explore solutions and routes to address any identified work to improve the surroundings. The rate of pay for prison officers is reviewed and determined annually through the independent Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) process. That pay remains competitive with comparable labour markets is a key consideration in terms of formulating both the government proposals to the PSPRB and the eventual recommendations of the Review Body. Starting pay for newly recruited Prison Officers at HMP Wakefield is now (effective 1 April 2020) £24,118 for a 39-hour week, including 17% unsocial hours. This can rise over time, to £26,818.

I acknowledge the difficult and dedicated work of those staff working with prisoners with mental ill health. To prepare and provide support for staff working in segregation units a two-week initial training package is run by the LTHSE which includes personality disorders, mental illness, trauma and staff wellbeing. Additionally, at HMP Wakefield supervision and training is provided by psychology services to segregation and close supervision centre operational staff working with prisoners with severe mental ill health, including access to a dedicated forensic psychology resource. This includes a bespoke training package on personality disorders and psychopathy and close working with staff to support their understanding of the complex needs of the men in the unit, as well as advice and guidance regarding their care and management. Psychologists also contribute to multi-disciplinary decisions about the day to day management of the unit and the men residing there. All prisoners who meet the eligibility criteria for the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) pathway are ‘screened into’ the pathway so that their Offender Manager can access psychological consultancy to help both understand the needs of the individual, and help plan what services may be needed. In the LTHSE there are several OPD pathways depending on the need identified ranging between: preparing the person to access treatment, treatment services themselves, and support services -Psychologically Informed Planned Environments (PIPE) after treatment. Interventions are also available which focus on securing custodial stability so that the person can access mainstream interventions.

Following a pause in the development of the new Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework project, due to Covid-19, a meeting with IMB representatives took place in August 2020. The feedback received from those members was considered alongside the comments which we received from other stakeholders, and comments from subsequent operational engagement. We have shared the draft framework with some key stakeholders, including the IMB representatives we previously consulted, and this will be followed by wider consultation shortly.