Moorland

As, by definition, any prisoner needing hospital care requires a secure facility, we suggest that the minister should ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to address the national shortage of secure psychiatric beds.

I acknowledge the Board’s concern about the national shortage of hospital beds for prisoners diagnosed with mental health conditions, but also note your commendation to Care UK for seeking to establish clear protocols to ensure that escalation occurs immediately. I would like to reassure you that we are determined to improve the transfer process, ensure delays are reduced and avoid prisons being used inappropriately. The Secretary of State for Justice is committed to working with the Secretary of State for Health (with health partners) to articulate a coherent picture of how healthcare is delivered throughout the criminal justice pathway. Government resources and priorities are currently being directed to the response to Covid-19, but we remain committed to continuing bilateral discussions on this topic when it is appropriate to do so. We are also continuing to work in close collaboration with health partners to make sure that, where appropriate, vulnerable offenders are diverted away from custody and, where possible, from the criminal justice system altogether. This includes Health and Justice partners working together through the Community Sentence Treatment Requirement Programme, to ensure greater use is made of mental health, alcohol and drug treatment requirements as part of community sentences. In addition, revised guidance on the transfer and remission to hospital from prison, to improve the support offered to vulnerable prisoners, will be published later in the year. This will promote timely access to appropriate treatment under the Mental Health Act (MHA) and should reduce unnecessary delays to treatment. This Government is also committed to legislate to reform the MHA and is working on producing a White Paper in the coming months. In addition, NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing new performance metrics through use of a strategic reporting tool to monitor patients assessed under the MHA by tracking the assessment and waiting transfer periods. This process will allow Commissioners to identify exceptional cases within prisons and act accordingly. NHS-led Provider Collaboratives for adult medium and low secure services give local ownership to providers for the whole pathway and resource for their own populations. In respect of high secure services, a strategic commissioning plan is hoped to be developed by April 2021, which will describe the clinical model, pathways and capacity required for implementation in 2021/22. Currently the strategic direction continues to be maintenance of existing bed capacity, not an increase, albeit with improved geographical distribution. The focus is on improving efficiency, for example, appropriate lengths of stay and reductions in transitions. The Provider Collaboratives will be key to managing the patient pathway and addressing the needs of their local population, whilst being involved in strategic national commissioning and preserving the integrity of the overall secure estate.

Can the minister work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to increase the provision of suitable post-release accommodation?

I also acknowledge your concern about post-release accommodation. I would like to reassure the Board that it remains a priority for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to ensure that offenders find somewhere safe and secure to live on their release from prison. My officials are working closely across Government to access the levers to this that are not directly within their control. As part of the Rough Sleeping Strategy published by the Government in 2018, the MoJ and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, have invested approximately £6.4 million in a pilot scheme operating since August 2019 to help ex-offenders secure suitable accommodation from three prisons, namely HMP/YOI Pentonville, HMP Bristol and HMP Leeds. The pilot focused on male prisoners sentenced to 36 months or less and identified as having a risk of homelessness. Just over 300 prisoners enrolled onto the pilot which concluded in July 2020. Subject to evaluation, lessons learned from the pilot will be used to inform future provision of accommodation for offenders. In addition, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has recently published its operational national Accommodation Framework that sets out the agency’s responsibilities, their partners’ responsibilities (including local authorities) and provides a framework for how to build on success and working together with partners to ensure that offenders can access and maintain settled accommodation. In light of the pandemic, the MoJ has secured funding to support the provision of accommodation for individuals released from prison at risk of homelessness during this unprecedented period. A probation review is also underway, which will inform future improvements to resettlement support, public protection and oversight throughout the sentence. The MoJ will utilise the learning gathered from the homeless pilot scheme to help develop longer-term improvements.

Can resources be provided to enable sufficient provision of programmes to allow prisoners to progress towards successful resettlement?

Offending Behaviour Programmes (OBPs)
Delivery of accredited OBPs and aligning resource is regularly reviewed and is part of the North Prison Group’s strategy. HMPPS has built in some capacity within the most recent OBPs proposals for 2020/2021. This entails reviewing the needs of prisoners and feasibility of delivering accredited interventions e.g. Thinking Skills Programme and interventions aimed at supporting young adults. As part of planned re-configuration work, OBP delivery will be reviewed and reconfigured to meet offender needs within the budgetary constraints of HMPPS. Prior to Covid-19, HMP/YOI Moorland planned to deliver the same programmes as in 2019/20 and had available funding to increase capacity. Some local staffing difficulties such as maternity leave and unfilled vacancies impacted on the overall capacity to deliver accredited programmes. This will be proactively addressed by the prison. However, as I am sure the Board will appreciate until further notice to control the spread of the virus all OBP delivery is suspended as it involves large face-to-face group interactions. Once it is safe to do so, staff will work towards an OBP recovery plan using new delivery styles such as one-to-one and smaller group work. Likewise, resources will be utilised to deliver motivational work in aid of developing men to fully engage in programmes, as evidence tells us that those who drop out of programmes are at increased risk of reoffending.

Can the national daily budgetary allowance for food be reviewed, to ensure sufficient nutrition for all prisoners?

Food Budget
Since 2017 budgets have been devolved down to Governors. This includes the food element and therefore with increased responsibilities Governors now have the ultimate decision on how much is spent daily per prisoner. The last food budget was set at £2.02 in 2012 and this is still used by establishments as a budgetary figure. With inflation over the past eight years a realistic budget would be £2.15 and includes all religious, cultural and medical dietary requirements. With the ongoing extension of the food supply contract, the budget is to be looked at as part of the process, however, the decision will rest with each governing Governor to decide how much is allocated. Locally, all Functional Heads at HMP/YOI Moorland have a delegated budget and are responsible for forecasting precise expenditure. During finance bilateral meetings funds are reallocated from forecasted under spends to areas under the most financial pressure. Expenditure is also scrutinised at the monthly finance meeting as well as authorisations to spending changes. HMP/YOI Moorland’s food budget and menu will be kept under review.

Can the key worker sessions be returned to their former levels, to offer the required support to prisoners on the wings?

I note you have raised some local issues of concern in your report about key worker sessions and the provision of qualifications in the workshops. The Governor will keep you informed as work continues on these issues, but it may be helpful to note that Exceptional Delivery Models to support the Covid-19 recovery plan are a key priority for HMPPS. HMPPS comments in response to the two issues raised in your report for their attention are set out in the attached annex.

Can consideration be given to increasing the number of vocational and accredited qualifications in the workshops, to enhance prisoner confidence and employment opportunities on release?

I note you have raised some local issues of concern in your report about key worker sessions and the provision of qualifications in the workshops. The Governor will keep you informed as work continues on these issues, but it may be helpful to note that Exceptional Delivery Models to support the Covid-19 recovery plan are a key priority for HMPPS. HMPPS comments in response to the two issues raised in your report for their attention are set out in the attached annex.