Scottish Government

9. SERVICES

Estates and Facilities

9.1 Estates management is dominated by the ongoing building and renovation work. Conditions for prisoners should be significantly improved as the Development Plan approaches completion.

9.2 The estates team hold regular meetings with contractors and have also been involved in facilitating familiarisation visits to new facilities and carrying out safety assessments. This work has impacted on other routine maintenance commitments. The closure of 'C' Hall for example meant that hundreds of beds and other furniture had to be moved to other parts of the prison. This took staff time that would otherwise have been spent on maintenance.

9.3 Communication of what is happening in the prison has been well managed. The Estates Manager is part of the duty rota, and he is therefore in touch with all parts of the prison. There are also regular staff bulletins, and monthly stakeholder meetings. There is a very good 'Daily Systems Status Sheet' which keeps managers up to date with areas in need of attention.

9.4 The prison should take the opportunity provided by the building work to offer practical work, perhaps contributing to a qualification, to prisoners. For example, given the pressure which estates staff are under it was surprising that prisoners were not employed as hall painters: this works well in other prisons.

Health and Safety

9.5 There is a full time Health and Safety Co-ordinator in place. The Governor chairs the Health and Safety Steering Group. The Group meets quarterly and attendance is good.

9.6 There has been an improvement in meeting accident investigation report timescales. There were 58 accidents in past year, eight of these being reportable. There are five weekly checks in place. This was commended in a fire inspection which took place in January 2005. Eighty four per cent of staff are competent in Health and Safety.

9.7 An Infection Control Committee is also in place. This is chaired by the Deputy Governor. The Health and Safety co-ordinator is a member of this committee. New Infection Control training for all staff is being introduced.

Human Resources

9.8 The Human Resource function is well organised. There is little staff turnover and no major issues with recruitment. Grievances are rare: only two were raised last year.

9.9 There is a Staff Recognition Committee in place. Thirty six staff received Governor Commendation Awards and one received the Chief Executive Award in the last year.

Staff Training

9.10 A full time Staff Training Manager is in post. Staff training in Perth is well organised and all KPI elements of training and development were met.

9.11 Training statistics and competency compliance figures are as follows:

9.12 Twenty two staff are involved in further education and 14 First Line Managers are undertaking Management training. The Governor, Deputy Governor and HR Manager are the only people who can cancel training. The approach to staff training is good.

Catering

9.13 The food in the main prison is not good at the point of serving. In the most recent Prisoner Survey, prisoners consistently expressed dissatisfaction: choice was rated 18% lower than the SPS average, the size of portions was 19% lower, the condition of the food when served was 12% lower, and the way in which it was served was 20% lower. There was not a single rating in Perth where more than 50% of prisoners rated the service as okay, good or very good.

9.14 The catering arrangements remain poor. After preparation, meals are put in plastic trays in heated trolleys - where they can stay for some time. The trolleys are then transferred varying distances from the kitchen to the halls. The food deteriorates in these circumstances. Prisoners said this, and it was confirmed by inspectors.

9.15 There are however two kitchens in Perth: one in the main prison and one in Friarton. The main kitchen operates the system above. The kitchen in Friarton prepares food in exactly the same way, to the same menu, using the same staff on a rotating basis, using the same amounts of the same ingredients. Yet the food is much more popular in Friarton. In Friarton, prisoners are served their meals directly from a servery. There is also a dining room. The difference between the main prison and Friarton is striking.

9.16 There is a pre-selection three week menu cycle in place for convicted prisoners. Special diets are catered for in the choices. Medical diets are occasionally referred through the health centre. However, prisoners in 'A' Hall are not given the opportunity to choose their meals in advance. A selection of each choice is sent to 'A' Hall each day and choice is on a first come first served basis. A system to make sure different prisoners were not given last choice on consecutive days was not in place either. All prisoners should be given the opportunity to choose their meals in advance.

9.17 Training is available to prisoners working in the kitchen. Modules in 'Kitchen Portering' level 1 and 'Cooking and Food Processing' level 2 have been achieved by a number of prisoners over the last year.

9.18 There was no Catering Committee in place where prisoners could be consulted, and Senior Managers only rarely tasted meals in the kitchen and never in the halls. No complaints book was available. These should all be addressed.

9.19 It is recommended that the catering arrangements in the main prison are improved.

Laundry

9.20 The laundry is located in an old workshop due for demolition. It employs 28 prisoners, with up to 20 required at any one time. Prisoners can achieve a Guild of Launderers qualifications and some prisoners trained in the prison now work in laundries in the community.

9.21 Personal items are placed in a net bag, colour coded by hall. However, it was apparent that many prisoners in 'A' Hall did not have a bag. Other prisoners sharing cells also had to ask for extra net bags and they were not always available. Loss and damage are very rare, and there is a rotating timetable which allows sufficient access to each area. Although there are sufficient, fit for purpose washers and dryers in the laundry, many prisoners prefer to wash their clothes in the halls. If they have a bag, prisoners can have their clothes washed every day.

9.22 The laundry is responsible for replacing old and worn clothing as it comes in. However, the budget for this has been reduced by almost one half, and this has led to problems in replacing unsuitable items. This should be addressed.

Canteen

9.23 A 'Bag & Tag' system is in place, with stock being located in an area at the centre of the prison. It is run by four staff, assisted by one prisoner. The canteen is reasonably accessible to all parts of the accommodation areas.

9.24 The workload of the canteen staff has increased in the last year, even though there are fewer prisoners. This is partly as a result of the increased number of remand prisoners who have greater access to the canteen and more funds to spend. It is also due to a change to the telephone system which means that one of the canteen staff has to make a manual transaction for every prisoner who wants to transfer funds to his telephone account. In the past a telephone card system was in place and the cards were put in the bags with other purchases. There was an average of 266 phone transactions per week in the four weeks prior to inspection. This can take up to two days of one member of staff's time. That equates to 10% of the total staff resource dedicated to this new task.

9.25 The main impact of this pressure is that there is little time to consult with prisoners and staff about the service. The canteen sheets have not changed for some time, reflected in the Prisoner Survey in which only 53% of prisoners were positive about the range of goods available. The SPS average is 56%. The choice of items available from the canteen should be improved.

9.26 Prisoners can also buy fruit and vegetables, pharmaceutical products, cards and flowers through the sundry purchase scheme. On the week of inspection 34 prisoners from 'D', 'E' and Friarton Halls had ordered fruit or vegetables.