Chloe SmithMP for Norwich North
Chloe SmithCOVID-19 is rightly the big issue on people’s minds, however, today (March 18th) Parliament also discussed the important issue of ‘health and safety of prison staff’. HMP Norwich is within my constituency and taking into account Norwich Prison’s latest CQC report, this is a debate that I followed closely.
In the current climate, nobody can get away from the fact that the number one issue being talked about is COVID-19. Protecting both staff and prisoners from this virus is vital in preventing the overall spread to the rest of the population.
I would first like to draw attention to the Government’s set of recommendations for prisons and other prescribed places of detention which can be found at the below link.
This guidance will assist healthcare staff and custodial/detention staff in addressing COVID-19 in prescribed places of detention.
The health and safety of prison staff is incredibly important to me and it is important to recognise that to solve the issue of our prisons we need to ensure that there are enough staff of the right level of experience to deal with these challenges.
The Minister responding to the debate commented that:
“We are supporting the emotional and social wellbeing of staff, which is critically important, as well as protecting them from violence. They have access to an occupational health service. We are rolling out TRiM—trauma risk management…
The health and safety of our staff and those in our care remains the top priority for the Ministry of Justice, and we are making significant efforts to ensure that the safety challenges in prisons continue to be addressed”.
Locally I will continue to work constructively with the Prison leadership team to ensure that the findings in the recent CQC are acted upon and that improvements are made so that all staff working in Norwich Prison have the support they need.