- immediate improvements made after ministers and
inspectors demand action
- prison improves mental health services, boosts
anti-violence measures and repairs the estate
- Justice Secretary makes clear there is more to be
done, and will use this process to get the basics right
at Nottingham and across the prison estate
Building on improvements made at the prison last year,
care for the most vulnerable offenders will be
dramatically improved, with NHS England supporting HMP
Nottingham with an additional £200,000 to improve
mental health services.
Specialist healthcare staff will now spend additional
time with those most at risk of self-harm, and more
detailed mental health assessments will be completed by
trained professionals.
A local suicide prevention policy has also been
launched, providing additional staff training in
managing vulnerable offenders, and the prison will
continue to work closely with the Prisons and Probation
Ombudsman to make sure all recommendations on deaths in
custody are implemented.
Justice Secretary said:
I’ve been absolutely clear that conditions in some of
our prisons are unacceptable, and I will not stand
for them.
We’ve already taken immediate action to address
failings identified by the Chief Inspector, but this
action plan is only the beginning.
The most troubling and tragic of the problems at HMP
Nottingham is the unacceptable level of self-harm and
deaths. To address this, we have established a new
suicide prevention policy, boosted the mental health
assessment and referrals process, and got extra
support from the NHS.
But we can’t stop there and I am committed to getting
the basics right at Nottingham and across the estate.
We must stop the drugs, violence and self-harm, and
clean up our prisons so we can focus on making them
safe and secure places for rehabilitation.
The plan also sets out how HMP Nottingham has:
- carried out a full review of safety and violence,
with body worn cameras now fully operational and staff
receiving additional conflict resolution training
- committed to recruiting 100 new officers to boost
the prison’s frontline, as well as increasing mentoring
for new recruits and less experienced staff
- completed over 800 maintenance tasks, including
repairing windows and damaged cells, with monthly
inspections resulting in significant improvements to
cleanliness
This action plan comes after ministers introduced the
Urgent Notification process last year, meaning prisons
that require urgent attention will have 28 days to
introduce tough measures that will drive improvement.
Last month, HMP Nottingham was issued with the first
ever Urgent Notification by the Chief Inspector of
Prisons.
Since then, the prison has taken wide-ranging action to
address the concerns of the Chief Inspector, building
on improvements already made prior to the Urgent
Notification being issued.
Today’s action plan comes in advance of the final
inspection report into HMP Nottingham, which is due to
be published later this year.
