Berwyn

The Board again highlights the issue of the lack of facilities, in terms of meeting rooms and interview rooms, in this newly built establishment. The 70% double room and 30% single room configuration is proving challenging to manage, given the requirements of CSRAs and the composition of this diverse population. The figure of 70% double rooms and 30% single rooms can be misleading when translated into prisoner numbers. It means that when the prison is full, approximately 82% of prisoners will be in double rooms and only 18% in single rooms (see main judgements).

I note the Board’s continued concerns about the lack of meeting/interview rooms at the prison. The staff Learning Centre should be established by the end of the year and will provide staff meeting room facilities and interview space for staff and managers. I am pleased HMP Berwyn during the Covid-19 lockdown period facilitated in-cell telephone conferencing to ensure essential interviews and meetings have taken place such as healthcare related, key work interactions and probation offender management conversations. Additionally, during the course of the year the residential house blocks were used to conduct meetings/interviews but these have had to be temporarily converted to accommodate family video calls. Room booking systems have improved through managerial oversight. Further details on future plans to maximise meeting and interview space are set out in the annex to this response. Whilst I acknowledge the Board’s ongoing concern about the number of double cells, the position outlined in last year’s response to the Board remains unchanged and there are currently no plans to change these arrangements. HMP Berwyn had a reduction to its operational capacity to 1801 with the onset of Covid-19 and enabled the Governor to introduce designated regimes for prisoners requiring isolation, shielding or reverse cohorting. The Governor will keep the Board informed of its direction in the coming months. Further to the Minister’s response above, the following actions are planned to increase meeting/interview space: - Interview booths in the Offender Management Unit as part of the agreed Workshop Development Plan - anticipated to take place by March 2021. - Use of the clinic rooms on each residential house to undertake healthcare work - anticipated to take place November 2020. - Continued use of in-cell telephony contact where appropriate for interviews/consultations. - Reverting the video visit space on the house blocks back to meeting and interview rooms when alternative arrangements to accommodate family video visits have been agreed. - An area has been identified in one of the workshops where increased interview space will be provided as part of the last stage of the Workshop Development plan (as mentioned above).

There is a need to consider the further identification of specialist communities, to deal with specifically identified needs – for example, the increasing numbers of prisoners deciding to self-isolate.

The development of increased specialist regimes over the last twelve months have been provided to accommodate remand prisoners and introduce a separate vulnerable prisoner community. In addition, and as I am sure the Board will be aware, HMP Berwyn has a unit to support more challenging prisoners, a lifer community, a family pathways unit, a community to support veterans, a unit that supports those with mental health challenges and communities where enhanced facilities are provided. This is considered to be a good range of communities that supports some of the specialist needs of the prisoners at HMP Berwyn. The root of future developments will be to provide improved confidence and consistency in operational practice that should mean existing specialist units are used correctly, but the majority of men are managed in a consistent way that supports the operation of the regime and developing improved relationships with key workers.

There is a need to be aware of the challenges surrounding an establishment the size of HMP Berwyn, with a lack of appropriate meeting rooms and interview rooms (see main judgements).

I note the Board’s continued concerns about the lack of meeting/interview rooms at the prison. The staff Learning Centre should be established by the end of the year and will provide staff meeting room facilities and interview space for staff and managers. I am pleased HMP Berwyn during the Covid-19 lockdown period facilitated in-cell telephone conferencing to ensure essential interviews and meetings have taken place such as healthcare related, key work interactions and probation offender management conversations. Additionally, during the course of the year the residential house blocks were used to conduct meetings/interviews but these have had to be temporarily converted to accommodate family video calls. Room booking systems have improved through managerial oversight. Further details on future plans to maximise meeting and interview space are set out in the annex to this response. Further to the Minister’s response above, the following actions are planned to increase meeting/interview space: - Interview booths in the Offender Management Unit as part of the agreed Workshop Development Plan - anticipated to take place by March 2021. - Use of the clinic rooms on each residential house to undertake healthcare work - anticipated to take place November 2020. - Continued use of in-cell telephony contact where appropriate for interviews/consultations. - Reverting the video visit space on the house blocks back to meeting and interview rooms when alternative arrangements to accommodate family video visits have been agreed. - An area has been identified in one of the workshops where increased interview space will be provided as part of the last stage of the Workshop Development plan (as mentioned above).

There is a need to resolve the serious issues surrounding paint defects and ineffective heating systems. These issues are now starting to be addressed, and the Board will continue to monitor these areas.

A review took place this year to agree the strategy for addressing the paint defects and the heating system. It is anticipated that the heating system issues will be addressed by April 2021 and the repainting project is expected to be agreed through a contractual settlement. The Governor remains committed to keeping the Board updated on these issues as they progress.

There is a need to ensure that systems and policies are consistent and fully understood both by prisoners and staff.

There is a need to solve issues raised by the prisoners at the first possible opportunity, rather than allow them to escalate.

Responses to complaints (that is, Comp 1 and Comp 1a) are an issue in the establishment. If prisoners were kept informed of progress, it could reduce frustration, including additional Comp 1as and applications to the Board and the chaplaincy.

Medication Policy issues

Likewise, there is an ongoing focus on improving health and social care in prisons in Wales through the Partnership Agreement for Prison Health. This has been developed collaboratively between the Health Boards, the Welsh Government, HMPPS and Public Health Wales. Specific work streams are being taken forward. These include developing standards for mental health services in prisons, a new substance misuse treatment framework and a work stream which will assess each of the prisons in Wales against Royal Pharmaceutical Society standards for medicines management. HMPPS is leading on a work stream on the role of the wider prison environment and taking a whole prison approach to improving the health and wellbeing of prisoners.

Inpatient units/Medication Policy

The decision not to have an in-patient facility at HMP Berwyn was decided at the construction project stage. There are no plans to build a unit at this time. HMP Berwyn has excellent community support provided through the healthcare contract. Prisoners who require that level of clinical intervention following a deterioration in their mental state are transferred to a secure hospital. Likewise, there is an ongoing focus on improving health and social care in prisons in Wales through the Partnership Agreement for Prison Health. This has been developed collaboratively between the Health Boards, the Welsh Government, HMPPS and Public Health Wales. Specific work streams are being taken forward. These include developing standards for mental health services in prisons, a new substance misuse treatment framework and a work stream which will assess each of the prisons in Wales against Royal Pharmaceutical Society standards for medicines management. HMPPS is leading on a work stream on the role of the wider prison environment and taking a whole prison approach to improving the health and wellbeing of prisoners.

Did not attend appointments, DNA

DNAs are monitored monthly and reported via the healthcare performance report which is shared with the relevant prison staff including the senior management team. The total figure is broken down into DNA and CNA (could not attend). All DNAs are followed up through the help of peer mentors by ascertaining the reasons for non-attendance. Peer mentors promote using the ‘cancel my appointment’ tool effectively on the computers provided and using this to check for scheduled appointments to reduce the number of unused appointments. CNAs make up 39% of failed appointments and are due to operational issues such as lockdown and not being able to get to appointments. Efforts are made for appointments to be re-booked. Prior to Covid-19 to reduce the movement around the prison, the healthcare team were working in partnership with HMP Berwyn to deliver more clinics directly on the residential houses. This work will continue when it is safe to do so.

Overnight nursing cover

There is now a 24-hour nursing cover onsite at HMP Berwyn which is supported by an on-call GP service.

Healthcare representatives at good reviews

HMP Berwyn has a coordinated approach to the organisation of GOOD review meetings. A healthcare representative is dedicated on each shift to attend the reviews and has the required knowledge to positively contribute to these reviews.

Staffing

Novus Cambria has extensive links and experience in developing education provision in prisons. All Novus Cambria staff, whether they have worked in prisons previously or not, attend HMP Berwyn’s one-week induction. The prison induction provides basic general information about working in prisons and is specific to HMP Berwyn, for example security, keys, anti-corruption and Five-Minute-Interventions. Novus Cambria’s staff induction period is usually delivered over a four-week period. As well as introducing new teaching staff to the organisation, the induction covers aspects of working in secure environments, layout of the prison (particularly the Coleg and Workshop areas), general alarms, observation book and accident/incident reporting, Incentives policy framework processes and Prison Nomis entries. All new colleagues are subject to a nine-month probation period, during which they are given additional support. These two induction processes combined do provide a substantive introduction to working in a secure environment, and to working in HMP Berwyn specifically. However, it is accepted there is a level of ‘prison craft’ that can only come through experience. It is a strength that Novus has recruited teaching staff who are well qualified and come with a wealth of experience and from a range of backgrounds. It is inevitable however that given how relatively new HMP Berwyn is, many of the staff will be inexperienced in working in such an environment. There is good support from the prison team in the form of training and less formal support and advice, and good support mechanisms in place for all staff, including new staff members. The team is also excellent at supporting each other, and those who have more experience of working in prisons will support and advise those newer to the environment.

Vocational training places

The allocation of prisoners to vocational training places has been identified as a priority. The Governor is confident that with reduced activity spaces the arrangement to maintain the correct number of attendees will be achieved. This will be closely monitored as the prison progresses its Exceptional Delivery Model (EDM) over the coming months.