The Verne: Care of frail sex offenders not humane, says report

HMP The Verne on Portland is a category C prison for men convicted of sex offences

The care of frail and elderly inmates at a prison for sex offenders "falls short of humane", a report has found.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said it was concerned about the lack of 24-hour provision at The Verne in Dorset for those needing personal care.

It said 14% of the prison's 600 inmates were over 70, many with complex care needs.

The Ministry of Justice said it was working with local healthcare providers to ensure all prisoners were cared for.

The annual IMB report said the prison on Portland was generally "very safe" but the health and wellbeing needs of the most elderly and frail prisoners were not being met.

It said care packages were "usually very minimal" with most receiving about 15 to 30 minutes of care both in the morning and evening.

'Ageing population'

The IMB said inmates attended more than 800 outpatient appointments between 1 August 2021 and 31 July 2022, but around third of appointments were cancelled, mainly due to a lack of escorts.

It said one of the prisoners had been in a nursing home for over a year, also requiring an escort, which was "taking up scarce staff resources".

It said there was a need in the prison estate for a hospital unit that could also provide overnight care.

"Plans were made to create such a unit at The Verne. The board regrets that this facility has not advanced beyond the planning stage," it said.

"In view of the ageing population at The Verne, more onsite provision for care of the elderly, such as a small residential home or hospital facility, is required.

"It would also assist with the staffing and recruitment difficulties that appears to be prevailing throughout the prison service in general."

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "HMP The Verne works closely with local healthcare providers to ensure all prisoners can access the same level of care as they would in the community and four new 24-hour social care spaces open in the prison this spring.

"We are also developing a national strategy to further support elderly prisoners and ensure we are meeting their needs."