Catering

7.1 Staffing in the kitchen comprised a Supervisor and four Catering Officers working a shift pattern which ensured seven day a week cover. They were supported by a party of 30 prisoners who were selected for their jobs by the LAB, with all of them being medically cleared prior to commencing their employment. Prisoners normally started in the wash-up area before progressing to other jobs involved in actual food preparation and all had to undergo a certificated Basic Hygiene Course. In addition, other locally designed training courses were provided depending on the specific job being undertaken. Prisoners working in the party lived in an accommodation unit adjacent to the kitchen and had their own small recreation area which contained a pool table and two card telephones. They also had access to a large screen television which was located in the dining hall.

7.2 Prisoners were provided with a cooked breakfast every day and on weekdays, lunch comprised a choice from three main and two sweet courses whilst soup and two main courses were provided for dinner. At weekends, lunch had two choices and a sweet with the dinner meal comprising one single main course. A 28-day menu cycle was in operation and from May to October, a salad choice was added to the lunch menu. Vegetarian options were not provided as a matter of course but arrangements were made to satisfy any particular dietary needs on request. Supplies of halal meat were retained for Muslim religious diets.

7.3 All prisoners dined at the same time in the dining hall and the meals were available on a first come first served basis with a table rotation system in operation to ensure that everyone got the opportunity of first choice. As part of our inspection, we sampled the meals on a number of occasions and considered them to be of a very good quality and of an acceptable temperature at the point of serving. The establishment did have the advantage of being able to cook the meals and then transfer them immediately to hot plates at the servery in the adjacent dining hall. Regular temperature readings were being taken.

7.4 As regards meal times, breakfast was served at 0730 hours during weekdays and at 0830 hours at weekends. Lunch was at 1210 hours during the week but at 1130 at weekends whilst the tea meal was always around 1600 hours. Not all of those meal times are in accordance with SPS Operating Standards, a situation which requires to be addressed.

7.5 The kitchen had been located in a temporary building for about seven years. The building had a projected life span of around 12 years and a bid for the provision of a new purpose-built facility had been included in the Strategic Plan. Equipment within the kitchen was adequate for the needs of the establishment and though there was no maintenance programme in place, we were assured that Estates staff responded very quickly in the event of any breakdowns. The kitchen was deep-cleaned twice a year by an external Contractor. All knives and other potential weapons were stored in a secure cupboard in the Catering Manager’s office and a tally system was in operation for any such item in use.

7.6 The kitchen had recently been inspected by both the SPS Catering Adviser and the local Environmental Health Office and all the issues raised as a result of those inspections had either been completed or were in the process of being addressed.

Comment

7.7 We were very satisfied with the catering arrangements and considered that the prisoners were being provided with good quality meals in ample proportions. Apart from meal times, our only concern related to the practice that we witnessed whereby containers of hot tea were being provided in the worksheds but prisoners were seen serving themselves by dipping their cups into the containers. We understand that there are plans to provide hot water dispensers in various locations which will remove the need for those containers but until these are in place, or for locations where they will not be installed, we suggest that staff should ensure that the unhygienic practice described above is stopped.

Canteen

7.8 Apart from Alba House which had its own arrangements, there was one central canteen for the entire establishment. Located in the accommodation area, it was run by Residential staff from two of the dormitories. The facility was secure and had ample shelving and storage space. A good range of stock was available and price lists were on display both in the dormitories and at the canteen. There was no cash held in the canteen with all transactions being credit-based.

7.9 The facility was open every day except Sunday with the main business being conducted on a Friday when prisoners’ wages were paid. On that day, the operation started at 1530 hours and business was not normally completed until around 1830 hours. Prisoners also had the opportunity to visit the canteen on one other occasion when it was open on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, with half the population having access each time. Admissions could have access on their day of arrival which meant that the canteen was also open on Monday and Friday evenings and Saturday morning for that purpose. There was no sundry purchase scheme in operation though a facility did exist for prisoners to be able to purchase special occasion cards from an outside supplier.

7.10 There were some procedural aspects relating to the operation of the canteen which were of some concern to us. Firstly, we noted that prisoners were expected to indicate how much they intended to spend and then sign for that amount before actually making their purchase. We brought this to the attention of the Governor and we were pleased to see that revised procedures were immediately introduced.

7.11 Our second concern related to the fact that on the Tuesday and Wednesday sessions, only prisoners who had the full £2.50 or £3.50 (see paragraph 3.10) in their personal cash could visit the canteen and even then, they had to spend that full amount. Again, this was drawn to the attention of the Governor and a revised procedure has been brought into use so that prisoners now have the opportunity to transfer any amount of their personal cash (up to the prescribed limit) to supplement their wages and are able to spend as much as they wish.

Laundry

7.12 In the report of our last inspection, we had noted that the establishment was capable of handling a small amount of its own laundry with the bulk of the items being sent to HMP Shotts. We had also recorded that a number of options was being considered, including the possibility of a purpose-built laundry within the prison to meet local needs.

7.13 Unfortunately, since that time there had been no significant improvement and if anything, the situation had deteriorated. The two washing machines and tumble dryers which had previously been in the kit store had been removed and now the only laundering facilities were machines located in the Reception and the gymnasium. All other laundry work continued to be undertaken at HMP Shotts and under that arrangement, collections/deliveries were made twice a week but as noted at paragraph 3.12, kit changes fell far short of the standards set by the SPS. It was claimed that one of the problems was the fact that the establishment did not always receive back from Shotts all of the items that were sent and when that was combined with the number of articles that went missing within Low Moss, it meant that there were insufficient kits to provide a proper level of service and insufficient funds to replenish the shortfall.

Comment

7.14 Low Moss is falling well short of the SPS’s Operating Standard with regard to the provision of regular kit changes and a major part of that problem stems from the fact that, apart from the machines in the Reception and gymnasium, the establishment is unable to undertake any of its own laundry work. In 1996, the report of an SPS Laundry Working Group was published and included in that report were details of the equipment which each establishment would require in order to provide an acceptable level of service. As far as Low Moss was concerned, the report recommended that it should be provided with equipment to enable it to wash all small items - i.e., vests, shirts, PE kit, socks and pants - locally with larger items continuing to be sent to Shotts. Unfortunately, no progress has been made on the proposals contained in that report and we recommend, therefore, that there should be an immediate and complete review of the establishment’s laundry arrangements so that it is in a position to be able to satisfy the Operating Standard in relation to kit changes. In addition, the establishment should be provided with sufficient funds to enable kit stocks to be replenished.

Estates

7.15 In line with the rest of the SPS, the establishment’s Maintenance and Minor Works function had been subject to Market Testing and for the last three years, an Estates team, led by an Estates Manager who was accountable directly to the Governor, monitored the delivery of a Maintenance and Minor Works Contract delivered by an external Contractor Team.

7.16 Low Moss still employs prisoners as part of the Works Maintenance team, an arrangement which meant that up to 15 prisoners were involved in painting work. That arrangement had been agreed when the contract was being set up and it appeared to be working well. Both the Estates and the Contract Team had their own office/stores though the tradesmen shared facilities such as workshops, restrooms and toilets. Prisoners working with the Contract team had separate facilities.

7.17 We were satisfied that all documentation within the Estates Department was being maintained to a high standard and a random check of records relating to the Work’s Technical Instructions and the Maintenance Programme confirmed that everything appeared to be satisfactory and up to date. In the year prior to our inspection, a number of Capital and Minor Works projects had been undertaken and we noted that only one Minor Works Project had still to be completed.

7.18 Given the age, structure and wooden fabric of the buildings, the Estates team are to be commended for the fact that the accommodation areas remain habitable. We were advised, however, that the piping and some of the structures were corroding and were in need of replacement.

7.19 Although the establishment’s energy consumption over the last year had reduced, this was mainly due to the efforts of the Estates team rather than as an outcome of any local energy policies. No Energy Management Committee was in place at the time of the inspection.

Comment

7.20 The task of the Estates Manager was not an easy one given the requirement constantly to extend the lifespan of the timber constructed accommodation and service areas. Strategic priorities were also difficult to determine when account is taken of the uncertainty surrounding the establishment’s long term future. In order to ensure the delivery and maintenance of an Estates Strategy which matches the requirements of a category ‘C’ establishment, as well as the needs of its prisoners population, we have recommended at paragraph 5.1.5 that a decision be taken with regard to the future of the Low Moss estate.

Fire Precautions

7.21 The Fire Precautions Officer (FPO) was the Estates Manager but there was no Fire Committee and the FPO was not a member of the local Health and Safety (H & S) Committee. However, the Estates Supervisor was due shortly to assume the role of FPO and he was - and would continue to be - a member of the H & S Committee.

7.22 At the time of our inspection, there was no programme in place for the systematic maintenance of fire fighting appliances throughout the establishment, though this work was being undertaken on an as required basis by two members of the Estates staff who had been fully trained in fire precaution duties. A system had, however, been put in place to ensure that those individuals would now be given every Friday afternoon off from other duties in order to undertake regular maintenance and checking work. To support that plan, a new record system, which would eventually be computerised, had been compiled.

7.23 A good relationship had been established with the local fire brigade who made regular visits to the prison, particularly when they had new staff. The call out time from the station at nearby Bishopbriggs was about 10 minutes and the brigade was called out on every occasion that a fire was reported. Fortunately, wilful fire raising had so far not been a major problem with there only having been two minor incidents in 1997, both of which had been properly recorded. There was one fire hydrant for the prison, in addition to which there were two large underground water storage tanks. Copies of plans showing those locations together with a layout plan of the entire prison were held by the brigade.

7.24 Within each of the accommodation blocks there were two fire exits, each of which could be opened by a key from within the dormitories during periods of lock up. The doors and the key boxes were both alarmed with the alarm indicators located in the Gate, though the alarms themselves could only be cancelled at the actual location. In addition, a smoke detector system had been installed throughout the establishment, again with the alarm panel controlled from the Gate. We were concerned to learn, however, that there had been no fire drills for some considerable time, though we were assured that these would be re-introduced as part of the new FPO structure.

7.25 Fire Notices and evacuation orders had been put on display in every dormitory and at various other key locations but at the time of our inspection, there were no emergency exit signs in the dormitories. Until recently, there had been a programme of replacing/updating 20% of all fire related items of equipment each year but following the recent introduction of new regulations, a bid had been submitted for the complete replacement of all extinguishers and for the provision of new exit signs. Work was also about to begin on the creation of some new fire exits. Because of the existence of dormitory accommodation, it was not appropriate to have the new short duration breathing apparatus which was now in use in other establishments. We were, however, concerned to learn that there had been no training for staff in the use of basic fire fighting equipment and techniques.

7.26 The establishment had recently been inspected by HM Inspectorate of Fire Services and the majority of issues raised in that report had either been attended to or were in the process of being addressed. Some items were not being undertaken either for operational reasons or because they had been overtaken by subsequent events.

Comment

7.27 Given the wooden construction of most of the establishment, we were disappointed by the way in which some of the fire precaution measures which had been praised in our previous report had been allowed to slip - e.g. fire drills, staff training and the regular maintenance of fire appliances. Given that state of affairs, the establishment is particularly fortunate that there had not been any significant incidences of wilful fire raising. We were assured that these and other issues would be addressed as part of the re-structuring of the FPO arrangements but given the potential for a serious incident, we have written to the Governor urging him to ensure that these measures are put in place as a matter of priority.

Health and Safety

7.28 The establishment’s H & S Committee had appropriate multi-disciplinary staff membership representing all relevant functional areas. Meetings were held every six weeks under the Chairmanship of the Deputy Governor, who was supported in that task by the Operations Manager and the Human Resource (HR) Manager who held the posts of H & S Co-ordinator and Deputy Co-ordinator respectively.

7.29 Senior Management had recently introduced a number of initiatives to emphasise their commitment to this issue, including a colour coding of all H & S communications and formal entry to the Bronze Award category accredited by Scotland’s Health at Work Scheme.

7.30 Accident Reporting procedures were fully in line with SPS Standards and a proactive staff training programme was in place, including training on risk assessment and First Aid. Accident reports had built-in deadlines for investigations to be completed and local statistics had been categorised on computer print-outs. The H & S Committee was currently examining ways of reducing the overall high level of recorded accidents and prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, an initiative to which we give our full support.

7.31 The establishment had recently been inspected by the SPS’s H & S Adviser as well as by the East Dunbartonshire Environmental Health Officer with no significant areas of concern having been reported.

Comment

7.32 H & S practices, procedures and training were proactive and were being given high priority by senior Management. We commend and encourage this approach.