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During this period establishments will not be audited and HMIP have confirmed the suspension of formal programmes of inspection although one day scrutiny visits will take place. Establishment performance management mechanisms will also be suspended. Under these circumstances establishments should postpone any meetings that do not contribute to the management of the establishment regime. Establishments may hold a morning meeting as normal and use this forum to review staffing levels and to attribute available resources to the daily work. The defensible decision making log should be updated to reflect all operational regime decisions made during daily meetings.
During this unprecedented period the increased use of prisoner labour through peer workers and risk assessed essential workers should be considered in non-security related roles to enhance the community workforce. The risk assessment of such individuals in advance of their use and appropriate rewards and recognition for their actions must be considered.
Operational managers from HQ have now been redeployed to prisons to provide additional support and regimes have been restricted to take account of the reduced staffing resources. The recently published additional bonus scheme for operational managers working in these difficult circumstances is to recognise the additional working pressures which we are conscious that managers are already facing and will face in the coming weeks. The expectation as key workers is that operational managers will continue to operationally support their establishment as best they are able whilst they are fit and well to do so. In respect of working hours, it is important that operational managers work sensibly and talk with their line managers where they are under pressure and faced with family issues at this time to ensure that they are supported. We recognise that everyone is doing their very best in the most difficult of circumstances and certainly there will be no disciplinary consequences for managers who are unable to work more hours due to outside commitments.