Woodhill Prison looks to tackle staff shortages

Chelsea Lee believed recruitment issues could be overcome at HMP Woodhill

A jail blighted by staff shortages is on a recruitment drive for prison officers.

Recent inspections of Woodhill Prison, near Milton Keynes, have repeatedly cited recruiting and retaining staff as one of the site's biggest issues.

The Prison Officers' Association (POA) said staff had reported being bullied and harassed.

Any allegations were taken "extremely seriously", said a Prison Service spokesperson.

Chelsea Lee, 30, is part of the prison's senior leadership team as deputy head of residence. She oversees all four main house units and makes sure they are secure living conditions.

Ms Lee said the prison service could be challenging and not for everyone, but felt the good outweighed the bad.

She said: "You need to be resilient and have grit, be able to make effective decisions and have compassion and care for others."

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In 2021, the prison's inspectorate said "many problems in the prison was the inability to recruit and retain staff".

At its most recent inspection in 2022, staff shortages were still an area of "considerable concern", with more prison officers leaving than joining.

Ms Lee said the high security jail, which currently houses about 500 male inmates, had a constant recruitment campaign and now offered people the chance to visit the site before applying for a role.

There are currently more than 450 members of staff at the prison, the MOJ said.

HMP Woodhill is trying to recruit more prison officers

Ms Lee said her job was rewarding but it could be frustrating and difficult at times, and noted it took "a certain kind of person" to be a prison officer.

"Sometimes we have bad days. There can be high frustrations working in this kind of custodial environment," she said.

"There could be multiple incidents throughout the day and it's quite high stress levels for the officers."

Ms Lee encouraged people from all different backgrounds to apply for roles and said she had found being a woman in the prison service an advantage.

"Being a female has a more calming influence. I feel like prisoners listen to you more, maybe see a mother or sister figure, I'm not quite sure. But it definitely assists me in challenging a prisoner in a more positive way."

In recent inspections, staff shortages and retainment had been labelled a "considerable concern" at HMP Woodhill

The POA said staff within the prison had voiced concerns about poor pay, bullying and harassment.

Geoff Willetts, from the POA's national executive committee, said: "It has to do with money and conditions. It's quite clear in the people survey some staff feel bullied, harassed and victimised in some parts of it, but it's also the fact there is no career progression process or it is very limited, or they don't feel valued."

In July, the government announced a pay award for all operational staff that would see the majority get a 7% pay rise, the Prison Service said. It takes the starting salary for an entry level officer from £28,880 to £30,902 a year.

Asked to respond to the POA's criticisms, a Prison Service spokesperson said: "While the vast majority of Prison Service staff are hard-working and honest, we take all and any allegations extremely seriously."

They said a "range of measures" had been introduced, including a staff helpline, specially trained investigators to bullying claims and renewed vetting of officers.

"These measures now mean staff are reporting unacceptable behaviour more often. We will not hesitate to take immediate action where allegations are substantiated," the spokesperson added.