Category: Services

All contents within this guidance are to be treated as OFFICIAL and the link to the platform is not to be shared externally.

At all times Governors are advised to consider Government guidance on social distancing when using exercise yards. Local risk assessments should consider ways in which large congregations can be avoided. This may include small number unlocked and access to exercise yards rotated. Arrangements and Government advice should be clearly communicated to prisoners prior to exercise so they are fully aware of our expectations. Although it is accepted that this may be difficult, at all times we must prioritise keeping all our staff, our families and those in our care in at least risk of infection as possible.

We are aware that at some prisons gym equipment has been placed in exercise yards for prisoner use. Please refer to the ‘Cleaning Guidelines – COVID-19 Infection Control’ for pre and post use cleaning to help protect any users of this equipment.

All contents within this guidance are to be treated as OFFICIAL and the link to the platform is not to be shared externally.

Education Update (22.09.21)

Progression through the EDM stages has enabled the recommencement of face to face Prison Education supported by a blended in cell delivery model. To enable the delivery of Education, mixed cohorts are permissible in classrooms where mixing can be managed at EDM stages 3, 2 and 1.  Restrictions to mixing and regime planning should be proportionate to the risk at the establishment and should not universally disadvantage prisoners from attending education. In making plans for mixing at stages 3,2 or 1 prisons need to get the right balance between safety and sufficiency of regime and introduce measures to manage mixing, alongside classroom capacity to ensure that the risk of wasted regimes spaces is mitigated. Prisons need to only reduce mixing where a clear risk exists and this is supported by local risk assessment, where such a risk exists sufficient alternative access to all activities, without disadvantaging individuals or groups should be enabled.

Provision of Books – Approved Retailers Scheme

Prisons are reminded that there is a specifically Approved Retailers’ Scheme which may be a helpful source of support to prisoners during regime restrictions arising from COVID-19.

Under the scheme, it is possible for families and friends of prisoners to order books for direct delivery to prisons through the Approved Retailers’ Scheme. The scheme includes CD and audio cassette books.

The Approved Retailers are:
Blackwells- https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/home
Foyles- https://foyles.co.uk/
Waterstones- https://www.waterstones.com/
W H Smith- https://www.whsmith.co.uk/
Wordery- https://wordery.com/
Mr B’s Emporium- https://mrbsemporium.com/
Incentive Plus- https://incentiveplus.co.uk/
Housmans- https://housmans.com/
Prisons.org.uk- https://prisons.org.uk/

All contents within this guidance are to be treated as OFFICIAL and the link to the platform is not to be shared externally.

Guidance for the Management of Deaths of Prisoners/Detainees during the Covid-19 Outbreak

This guidance document is primarily designed to assist governors/directors and IRC managers who are required to manage the death of a prisoner/detainee during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This guidance has been developed to ensure that:
• The deceased and the bereaved families of the deceased are treated with sensitivity, dignity and respect;
• Staff working in prisons are protected from infection;
• Support for staff and prisoners/detainees following a death is managed effectively;
• Processes around preservation of evidence and information remain in place; and
• Reporting and investigation procedures are understood and followed.

This guidance remains under review and may be updated in line with the changing situation as required.

Public Health England (PHE) published guidance on managing the deceased with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 cases on the 31st March 2020. This document takes the main issues to note from that guidance related to operational management in prisons. The original guidance can be found at on GOV.UK.

All contents within this guidance are to be treated as OFFICIAL and the link to the platform is not to be shared externally.

Smart Survey Instructions for the Festive Period (24.12.21)

Reporting Update (08.10.21)

Analytical Services and the COVID-19 Reporting Team regularly provide feedback to sites to address any missing or incomplete information in the COVID-19 returns – these data QA exercises have proved helpful in terms of closing data gaps.

The most recent communication to regional and local prison COVID-19 Reporting SPOCs relating to staff returns was on the 8 September. These updates include feedback on specific data for each site to review and update. However, there remain a number of data omissions on some site returns, for example employee number and reason for absence.

The data errors should be worked on and corrected in the next submitted COVID-19 returns.

It is essential that the COVID-19 returns are as comprehensive and complete as possible in order to support our continued understanding and analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on HMPPS.

Please ensure that returns are reviewed and if necessary updated by the local Reporting SPOC (as per the individual site feedback provided to them) by close of play on Friday 29 October at the latest.

Guidance on completing the data entries can be obtained from: Andrew.McCowie@justice.gov.uk

If you require a further copy of the latest site data status report, please contact HMPPSCOVID19@justice.gov.uk

NB: Please see attached guidance on data returns / quality.

Defensible Decision Logs

As we continue recovery and you make progression at your establishment, it is still important that you maintain Defensible Decision logs.

HMPPS have put in place and consistently reviewed numerous risk assessments with considered UKHSA specific guidance in order to safely run prisons through Covid-19. Live risk assessments, as well as Safe Operating Procedures and Local Operating Procedures, act to inform a Governor of ongoing risk and how this can be managed. 

Secondly, Governors were previously advised to open a Defensible Decision log and keep it open for the duration of the Covid-19 period in order to record decisions made outside of policy. Vitally, the log must continue to demonstrate the justification behind complex decisions to prioritise or not operate elements of the regime, not to ourselves, but to the independent, objective viewer. Their base of information must prove this defensibility, through local information, the engagement of recognised trade unions, and most importantly, the inclusion of the live relevant Risk Assessment.  If it is not possible to provide the evidence base with which the defensible decision has been formed, there is potential for the independent third party to argue its defensibility in principle.

Reporting Update (09.09.21)

As we learn to live with COVID-19, we are seeing some increase of COVID-19 prevalence rates in the community. Whilst at present this does not appear to be having the same impact on the number of people falling seriously ill, being admitted to hospital or deaths as in previous waves, it is important that we continue to focus our attention on information that will assist with supporting and managing any operational challenges.

It is essential that we continue to receive timely and accurate COVID-19 returns, specifically:

• Submission of the standard COVID-19 data returns – currently daily (Mon – Fri). Regional returns must be submitted to the central COVID-19 Reporting Team by 11am each week day. Individual sites must, therefore, ensure that returns are submitted to Regional SPOCs swiftly each day to ensure the 11am deadline is met.
• Completion of the weekly Testing Data Smart Survey – deadline 1pm each Wednesday.  Every site is required to complete this survey with their weekly testing data: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/WeeklyReturn/

Reminder:

Seriously ill individuals and hospitalisations

All cases of serious illness or hospitalisation must be notified without delay to the COVID-19 Reporting Team FMB: HMPPSCOVID19@justice.gov.uk and these cases must be recorded on the daily COVID-19 returns.

COVID-19 related deaths

The process of reporting of COVID-19 related deaths remains the same. All COVID-19 related deaths (confirmed or suspected) must be reported without delay to the National Incident Management Unit (NIMU) NIMU@justice.gov.uk (0207 147 4021) using the relevant notification forms, and copied to the Reporting Team FMB.

Early detection

If you have additional information e.g. the likely source of infection resulting in a number of new cases, please email the COVID-19 Reporting Team FMB. Any information along these lines is valuable in terms of assisting with the early identification and subsequent effective management of future outbreaks.

The COVID-19 Reporting Team continue to operate out of hours and weekend support, contact can be made via COVID-19 Reporting Team FMB, or contact as listed on the weekly NIMU Gold rota.

For further advice or guidance please email the COVID-19 Reporting Team FMB.

Reporting COVID-19 Deaths

COVID-19 Reporting

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Use of force training is essential for the safety of those who live and work in prisons. Maintaining this training in the midst of a pandemic is difficult due to the health and resource challenges. In order to provide a realistic and defensible way ahead, this guidance sets out the approach prison establishments should follow.  

The full refresher training for MMPR and C&R should now resume on a ‘best effort’ basis. This means that establishments should make their best efforts to deliver the training. Priority should be given to refreshing C&R advanced trained staff who are relied upon for TORNADO commitment. 

Where an establishment is unable to deliver the full refresher training, they must submit an explanation and case for exemption to the Prison Group Director (a template form has been provided). Where the full training cannot be delivered, the first option should be to deliver an alternative classroom based refresher based on theory elements of the training. The curriculum for this will be provided to establishments by application to the UoF FMB (UoFQueries@justice.gov.uk).  Only if this alternative delivery is not possible should consideration be given to suspending refresher training. Anything less than the full training should be reviewed at least every 28 days. A record of this decision, and the justification, as well as any reviews should be sent to the Use of Force team at UoFQueries@justice.gov.uk. 

PGD offices must monitor ongoing impact on local operational capability and TORNADO commitment.  To be eligible to respond under Operation Tornado, C&R advanced staff must have attended an initial advanced or advanced refresher since November 2018 and have attended a local use of force refresher within 18 month of date of deployment. 

The roll out of SPEAR and PAVA may recommence if your site has passed readiness, your training plan has been submitted and agreed to the physical safety team. If you are unsure if you meet this criteria please contact the physical safety mail box physical.safety@justice.gov.uk. This training should only recommence with prior discussion with your implementation manager. Any staff undertaking this training must be in date with their basic use of force.  

All contents within this guidance are to be treated as OFFICIAL and the link to the platform is not to be shared externally.

09/05/22: Please use the following link to the Post National Framework page for all up to date guidance following the exit of the National Framework

Supporting Documents

The reconfiguration Project has revised its National Allocation Protocol and New Offender Flows.

Cohorting – COVID Unit Management in Digital Prison Services and NOMIS

There are 4 new alerts in Digital Prison Services and NOMIS to help you manage COVID Cohorts.

These alerts must be added to prisoners to identify who is in each of the cohorts.

The alerts can be created under the alert type of ‘COVID unit management’ and are called:

● Reverse Cohorting Unit
● Protective Isolation Unit
● Shielding Unit
● Refusing to shield

If a prisoner has been identified as a shielder but is refusing to shield, the ‘refusing to shield’ alert should be added to them.

You should close the alert when a prisoner is no longer part of that cohort.

The ‘Quarantined’ alert has now been removed and any prisoner who had this on their profile should have one of the new alerts added if relevant.

Digital Prison Services now has full lists so that you can easily see who is in each of the COVID-19 units in your prison. By adding the correct alert to indicate each person’s COVID-19 unit, you will be able to view a list of who has each alert by selecting the ‘View COVID units’ task. You can also see which new arrivals have not had the Reverse Cohort Unit alert added.

Prison Leavers Release Planning & Discharge to the community (16.12.21)

Supporting Guidance

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Deep cleaning can only be carried out by staff or prisoners who are qualified to do so. Deep cleaning of known infected areas must be carried out by qualified people. More thorough cleaning schedules should be established for communal areas.

All contents within this guidance are to be treated as OFFICIAL and the link to the platform is not to be shared externally.

Thanks to the hard work by Operational Implementation Support Group (OISG) and MOJ digital studio, Check My Diary is now live. We urge all staff to sing up to Check My Diary. It allows to have a remote access to the detail on “In-vision”. This means that staff (Band 2-5) can check their duties whenever they want. In case of any short-notice redeployments, staff can manage their time more efficiently. MOJ digital is planning future developments to include access to Annual leave/Toil balances/Payment Plus to increase the benefits for staff.

There is no training or additional facilities required from the establishments to run this. Everything is supported remotely by the MoJ Digital team and its use is best described as intuitive, receiving only positive feedback so far.

It is important to note that Check My Diary does not absolve establishments from following standard management procedures regarding notices etc.

To sign up, staff need to email their name, establishment, personal mobile number or email address (or both), Quantum ID and justice email address to CheckMyDetail@justice.gov.uk

The link below is required to log in:
https://checkmydiary.service.justice.gov.uk/auth/login

All contents within this guidance are to be treated as OFFICIAL and the link to the platform is not to be shared externally.

Advice from HM Government and PHE around social distancing has resulted in DHL having to reduce the numbers of prisoners in their workshops.

Some of the DHL employees in the workshops have been raising unsubstantiated concerns about our ability to provide a canteen service this week.

Following the intervention of Silver Commanders and the support of Local Bronze we are confident that prisoners will receive a near normal service.

However, it is the case aligned with the systems currently operating in supermarkets in the communities we have had to introduce some caps on the number of items available to purchase on some lines. Where individual issues arise for an odd missing product there will be some contingency stocks available to each site to supplement where possible.

We are extremely grateful for the support and flexibility from Governors of prisons with packing sites and we are working with DHL around the working arrangements for next week and beyond.  We are presently mobilising two large warehouses in Gloucester and Knowsley to support our Canteen provision and to safeguard the supply.

Week commencing 29^th March, canteen orders will not be able to include fruit or items that need to be stored in a fridge or freezer. Fruit will still be supplied from the kitchen as part of the daily food provision. The following week (commencing 5^th April) we will reintroduce a good selection of fruit items.

We will require ongoing support from prisons as we have seen this week to keep the service as near to normal in the coming weeks and will keep prisons up to date via operational Guidance. If there are any expected changes in this position we will inform Gold/Silver Commanders as a priority.