Mental Health
Repeated
The acute shortage of secure mental health hospital beds available to meet the needs of the complex YP who are in urgent need of such support, and for whom prison is clearly not the correct place. Many YP wait indefinitely for suitable secure hospital provision.
Safety
Increasing numbers of YP are charged with violent offences and are placed in custody, either sentenced or on remand. There is a need to reduce the levels of violence among YP at a national level.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Prior to COVID-19, an increasing number of YP remained in custody on remand, experiencing lengthy delays before their case came to trial. A large proportion of those YP are acquitted. Inevitably, the situation now is worse.
Resettlement/Release
The growing number of YP who are being transferred to Wetherby main site from STCs and YOIs at some considerable distance from their home (35 YP in a five-month period), contrary to best practice as it hinders family links and professional support networks.
Resettlement/Release
YP already held at Wetherby who are aged 18+ experience lengthy delays while waiting to transfer to the adult estate.
Overcrowding
An increase in the number of restricted status (RS) YP at Wetherby, with provision almost at capacity.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
The unacceptable lack of daily exercise for YP and insufficient time out of cell, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when YP remained locked up for 23 hours a day.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The Board welcomes the implementation of the custody support plan (CuSP) but considers that it can only be of benefit if delivered with consistency. Is the establishment committed to ensuring that CuSP sessions are dealt with as a priority?
Safety
Misapplication of Managing and Minimising Physical Restraint (MMPR) techniques during incidents, suggesting an urgent need for further training, particularly for inexperienced officers.
Safety
Repeated
Unfortunately, progress has been slow since our last report, in which we raised the issue of some officers failing to use BWCs appropriately. This means that insufficient incidents are recorded. Use of BWCs is mandatory and offers safeguards to staff and YP. All instances of use of force must be recorded and reviewed. Unfortunately, too many staff are not wearing BWCs, or not turning them on to record the lead-in to an incident, or failing to record incidents because of technical issues.
Safety
A significant increase in acts of self-harm, more so on the main site than on the Keppel unit.
Other
Repeated
Unacceptable late arrivals of YP to reception, often after 7pm and sometimes as late as 3am, which exacerbates vulnerability and poses risks during processing by tired staff.
Source wording under review
Staffing
Repeated
The Board understands that untrained staff are still used and that operational shortfalls remain problematic, especially when staff take leave in the summer.
Healthcare
There is generally a waiting time of around six to eight weeks for a non-urgent dental appointment.
Staffing
Staffing difficulties are experienced in both primary care and CAMHS. The recent primary care nursing vacancy factor was 44%, and the CAMHS nursing vacancy factor was 55% – a cause for concern. • From the most recent data, agency or bank staff are still used for primary care nursing and CAMHS.
Substance Misuse
Unfortunately, although the 2019 drug misuse strategy is comprehensive, no quarterly meetings have taken place. This suggests that the strategic management of substance misuse may be overlooked.