Latest From Napo 210

Here we have the latest Napo Covid Bulletin No 21 published yesterday:-

Unions joint statement on risk assessments for Black/BAME staff

The current C-19 pandemic is an unexpected catastrophe that has wreaked havoc on the world economy and has led so far to over 2 million fatalities globally. Here in the UK, the statistics for infection and death show little sign of abating despite the implementation of lockdown policies that have been widely criticised as having been too little in substance and very late. Now a further debate is raging over what many believe to be an irresponsible approach by Government to start easing them.

One thing has become inescapably clear from this crisis, which is the morbidity rates of people with underlying health conditions. But the problem runs much deeper than that; with the emergence of compelling evidence which shows that Black/BAME staff are especially at risk of becoming seriously and possibly fatally ill.

There are any number of medical theories as to why this is so and what extra steps should be taken to acknowledge the position and take precautions. For many weeks now it has been truly shocking to see the number of C-19 related deaths within the care community, yet it can be argued that the disproportionate numbers of deceased Black/BAME health workers is also a national scandal which merits serious scrutiny.

While this issue is the subject of a Government inquiry, the view from trade unions and the TUC is that immediate action is needed now to address the specific risk that puts a substantial number of highly vulnerable key workers in danger of succumbing to this dreadful virus. As members would expect, Napo and our sister unions are seeking to pressure employers into recognising the threats and to issue revised instructions on customised Risk Assessments for Black/BAME staff.

This why we have today issued the following Joint Statement which will be brought to the attention of all the employers that we engage with. We will issue regular updates following engagement with employers.

JTU15-20 21 May 2020 

BLACK/BAME PROBATION STAFF AND COVID19 JOINT UNION STATEMENT 

Probation unions, NAPO, UNISON and GMB/SCOOP are working together to protect our Black/BAME members in the National Probation Service and in the 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies in relation to the increased risk from Covid19 affecting members of Black/BAME communities in the UK. 

EVIDENCE OF INCREASED RISK TO BLACK/BAME COMMUNITIES 

NHS England confirmed on 7 May 2020 that members of Black/BAME communities are among those groups who are clinically vulnerable to Covid19*. The NHS stated: 

‘We now know there is evidence of disproportionate mortality and morbidity amongst black, asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people, including our NHS staff, who have contracted COVID-19.’ 

The NHS has subsequently issued detailed guidance for NHS employers to undertake specific risk assessments of the vulnerability of Black/BAME staff to Covid19 and appropriate action to reduce exposure to, and the risk from, Covid19 for Black/BAME staff. The police service has quickly adopted the same approach for police officers and police staff. 

UNIONS DEMAND HMPPS TAKES ACTION NOW 

In a recent meeting with senior HMPPS officials the three probation unions called on the NPS and CRCs to proactively respond to the NHS statement, and follow the NHS risk assessment programme to protect Black/BAME probation staff now. We expect the NPS and the CRCs to take the same approach. 

The unions do not believe that there is time to wait for further research on the risk of Covid19 to Black/BAME communities, which Public Health England is due to publish in a few week’s time. We need action now to protect our Black/BAME members. 

NOTES: 

NHS Statement on Increased Risk of Covid19 to Black communities: https://www.england.nhs.uk/blog/note-for-all-bame-colleagues-working-in-the-nhs

Assessment Framework for Black staff in relation to Covid19: https://www.nhsemployers.org/covid19/health-safety-and-wellbeing/risk-assessments-for-staff 

Yours sincerely, 

Ian Lawrence General Secretary Napo

Ben Priestley National Officer UNISON

George Georgiou National Officer GMB/SCOOP

HMIP Report into SFO Investigations

On 14th May HMIP published their report into SFO investigations. Whilst it won’t make comfortable reading for HMPPS, it does highlight the same concerns that Napo have been raising for some time. Napo has been supporting a number of members who have found themselves under investigation from the initial stage right through to the inquest in some cases. What is clear is that the approach to SFO investigations has taken a very punitive turn which has led to members being under extreme stress, going through disciplinary hearings and in some very sad cases, losing their jobs. As a result Napo has been in a position to regularly raise members fears and concerns with HMPPS. This report is further evidence that these were not unfounded and that there needs to be a significant review of the SFO process. 

Some Key Findings:

For some time now HMIP have called for greater transparency of SFO’s for victims. Whilst the report acknowledges some headway in this area, HMIP clearly believe that more needs to be done. SFO’s can take years to complete and the although victims have access to the full review, this is often complicated, and written in jargon. Very few victims actually take up the offer and the reason for this needs to be researched further.

The purpose of an SFO investigation is to understand what went wrong, lessons that can be learnt and how this can improve practice and policy. However, HMIP found a very mixed picture. On a national level there is not enough analysis to identify themes which could inform policy and practice. On a local level it found that areas were much better at implementing lessons learnt. However, what was significant was that HMIP felt that this was overtaken by the fear the process invokes in staff, and this undermined the ability to learn. The findings in the report confirm what Napo has been saying for the last few years. Staff perception that SFO reviews focus on individuals and not on organisational responsibility were in fact true.

The central SFO unit takes too long to complete the review with staff and victims waiting on average 6 months.

There is a lack of multi-agency contributions with SFO reviews. They focus solely on probation. A multi-agency review would make it easier for victims to understand case management and provide a better context.

SFO reviews lack independent oversight, unlike domestic homicide reviews or MAPPA serious case reviews. Independent oversight ensures quality assurance, enable public reporting and allow the SFO teams to focus on the lessons to be learnt which in turn can then drive policy and practice. Napo has long argued that the review process should be in the hands of HMIP but we welcome the idea of a greater oversight by the Inspectorate.

Napo will be now pushing for HMPPS to acknowledge this and to seriously review how the SFO process is carried out. We will be calling for a meeting to specifically look at the reports findings and asking HMPPS what steps they will be taking to improve and to meet the HMIP recommendations.

A more in depth piece on the report will be published in the next Napo Magazine. A copy of the report in full can be found HERE

AP Engagement Update 13-05-20

Generic Risk Assessments (GRA)

AP’s have recently completed GRA’s relating to their place of work and the documents were shared with TU’s at the above meeting. Common themes were evident across all AP’s and these have been collated into one document with recommended measures in place. The documents are available for all AP staff to view. 

PPE

Napo raised the issue of PPE masks and the importance of staff being able to use this equipment properly. It was agreed to send a video link to staff to access guidance regarding putting on and taking off face masks appropriately. If members require this information please seek assistance from your line manager in the first instance.

AP Occupancy

All staff will be aware that to provide staff with a safe working environment a decision was previously made to have single room occupancy. The priority referral process also ensures accommodation for service users who meet the priority one criteria. These steps were taken to assist staff and residents to adhere to the social distancing guidance and provide accommodation to individuals whose risk dictates the need for close monitoring. Napo members have been informed that in some AP’s social distancing has proved very challenging, members have also raised their concerns about increasing AP occupancy. These concerns were raised and we were advised that AP staff should follow PHE/W guidance regarding social distancing for example; screens, demarcation areas, ventilation, workforce planning, and PPE. Clarity was also sought about increasing AP occupancy and we have been advised the Secretary of State has a responsibility to provide AP accommodation for individuals who are deemed to pose a high risk of serious harm to others. AP’s do need to continue to take residents who are leaving custody but we have been assured this will be undertaken in a safe and planned way with an increased level of collaboration and information from the discharging prison. If this is not happening please raise with your line manager in the first instance.

AP Staffing

We have been informed that the recent recruitment drive for areas where it has proved difficult to recruit has been successful. There were a couple of AP’s which were forced to close due to staff shortages and it is anticipated they can be reopened shortly.

Rota Review

The majority of AP’s have settled into the new APRW rota and reports have been positive. There are still some AP’s who have yet to change to their preferred rota but due to unforeseen circumstances this has not been possible. It is anticipated this will occur as soon as practicable.

Training

There are a few compulsory on-line training events for AP staff to complete if they haven’t already and all staff will be given encouragement and support to complete the necessary training. Face to Face conflict resolution training has been placed ‘on hold’ due to Covid-19 but it is hoped this will commence as soon as its safe to do.

AP Residential Worker Job Evalutation

Many RW’s will be aware their role will shortly be job evaluated. The process for this is as follows; A Job description questionnaire is completed by RW’s (this has already been done) and submitted to the Job Evaluation Scheme (JES). A panel of three people (including a TU rep) is selected from a group of TU reps who have undertaken the training and a matrix is used to score the tasks and the role will be then banded and the outcome circulated. Napo believe that RW’s undertake a vital role in AP’s and should be remunerated accordingly. I can confirm this view is widely shared.

Monthly Staff Dial In

Finally, many of you may be aware of the monthly all staff dial in. Dates, times and details can be found on the AP Directory. The call is usually 10 – 11 on the final Friday of the month, the next one is on 29th May. Napo encourages all staff to dial into these meetings if possible to raise issues directly with AP Senior Managers.

A Better Recovery

The TUC hosted a mini-conference (on zoom) to launch its new report A Better Recovery this week. The report sets out a plan to getting Britain growing out of the crisis and preventing mass unemployment. TUC General Secretary, Frances O’Grady, was joined on the panel by Shadow Chancellor, Annalise Dodds, and Financial Times Economic Correspondent, Martin Sandhu. READ MORE

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