HMP Eastwood Park striving to support women with complex mental needs

Acute staff shortages at the beginning of the reporting year resulted in an unreliable and unpredictable regime at HMP Eastwood Park, notes the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) in its 2022-23 annual report. As staffing levels improved however, a new regime was introduced, although the demand for staff to act as escorts, provide hospital bed watches and cover constant supervision of those at high risk of harming themselves remained high.

The Eastwood Park IMB notes that:

• The number of self-harm incidents rose by 128% across the reporting year, with a small number of extremely vulnerable women contributing to a large proportion of these incidents. A strategy to identify ‘drivers’ for self-harm was introduced during the reporting year and more support was offered to prisoners.
• Women awaiting transfer to a secure mental health hospital had to wait far too long for placements, with the recommended target of 28 days exceeded for 40% of these prisoners.
• Time out of cell was extremely limited from October 2022 until January 2023 due to restricted staff numbers and a consistently high number of prisoners requiring constant supervision or bed watches.

However, the Board is pleased to report that:

• There was investment in the infrastructure of the prison, with a new activity building opened in June 2023 providing additional workshop space and much needed interview rooms.
• The complex needs wing has been completely refurbished. The brighter environment and dedicated therapeutic support on offer appear to have had a positive impact on the women housed on the wing.

IMB Eastwood Park Chair, Gill Pyatt MBE, said:

“It must be acknowledged that hard work and innovative strategies from the staff at Eastwood Park have improved the functioning of the prison. The overarching aim is to keep women safe. However, the number of women who self-harm, along with the wide range of women with very complex needs, is of concern to the Board. The lack of available staff to meet the fluctuating needs of the prison population has had a detrimental impact on the well-being and rehabilitation of prisoners throughout the reporting year.

The IMB has suggested to the Minister of State for Justice that women with mental health problems and complex needs would be better treated in the health system than the criminal justice one. We hope there are plans to address our concerns”.