Isle of Wight

Response
I am mindful of the concerns the Board have about the remission location of patients returning from secure mental health hospital facilities to prisons and the pressure this can place on them. I understand that the arrangements in the NHS England’s good practice guidance The transfer and remission of adult prisoners under the Mental Health Act 1983, provide swifter remission from hospital, allowing bed spaces and treatment to be more quickly offered to others in need. I know this means many patients will return from secure mental health facilities to the nearest local prison, but specific arrangements exist for the Long Term and High Security Estate (LTHSE). This places the patient in the LTHSE prison that can best meet their needs by assessing a range of areas pre-remission, making their remission from hospital to prison meaningful, psychologically informed and progressive. It is clear more works needs to be done to provide access to timely and effective health care treatment within the prison and the South East NHS England Health and Justice Commissioning Team continue to work with the healthcare provider at HMP Isle of Wight to address gaps in provision and ensure the integrated care model is functioning effectively. There is also a role for the Government on this and we at the Ministry of Justice are working with the Department of Health and Social Care to introduce a Mental Health Bill as soon as possible. This will include a range of reforms to support people suffering severe mental illness in the criminal justice system. I also recognise that the adult male prison estate to which patients are remitted has been under acute capacity pressure and I hope the Board welcome the swift announcement by the Secretary of State on 12 July 2024 to help reduce this pressure nationally by temporarily making changes to standard determinate sentences, reducing the time served in prison from 50% to 40%.

Response
I also share the Board’s concerns about recruitment and retention of Probation Officers given the important role they play in protecting the public. This remains a priority across the Probation Service as there is a national shortage of Probation Officers and recruitment at HMP Isle of Wight continues to be a challenge due to expenses associated with access to the island and the competitive local labour market. Progress is being made, in the 12-month period ending 31 March 2024, staffing levels in the South Central region increased by 10.9%. However, further efforts are continuing with a national Probation Alumni Scheme introduced in January 2024 to encourage qualified staff to return and in March 2024 the latest Trainee Probation Officer campaign opened with the launch of a non-graduate pathway aimed at improving the diversity of the workforce and increasing application volumes. To specifically encourage Probation Officers to join HMP Isle of Wight there is an ongoing recruitment campaign with Public Interest Transfer and the offer of placements for Trainee Probation Officers. Whilst there is more to do, I hope there is some reassurance that where there are workload and staffing challenges the national Prioritisation Framework is being implemented in Probation regions such as South Central to re-prioritise tasks for front line staff to ensure staff workloads are controlled. HMP Isle of Wight continues to work closely with the Senior Probation Officers to escalate the risks and has provided prison staff on loan to Probation to cover Prison Offender Manager (POM) roles. The prison is also being supported by two full time remote Probation POMs whilst the work to attract candidates to the Offender Management Unit continues.

Response
The Board’s continued concerns around the repairs needed in the central laundry are recognised and it is noted that this is having an impact on the washer and dryers on the wings. A project to refurbish the laundry at HMP Isle of Wight has been developed and its business case approved, however Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete has been identified in the roof of the main laundry. Surveys to understand the condition of the structural elements of the building have been instructed and it is anticipated that this will be remedied along with the laundry project with both aimed to commence on site this financial year.