Report finds policy to vaccinate inmates and not staff at HMP The Verne 'indefensible'
Staffing levels fell by a fifth following a major outbreak at HMP the Verne on Portland
A new report by the Independent Monitoring Board into safety at HMP the Verne is criticising a decision that could have seen spare vaccines binned last year.
A major Covid-19 outbreak occurred at the Portland prison in February 2021, which lead to the deaths of five inmates.
During the outbreak, 222 inmates tested positive for COVID-19 and several required hospital treatment.
At the same time, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended prison officers were not a group eligible for early vaccination. JCVI policy also recommended surplus doses of vaccine from opened vials should be destroyed, rather than offered to others.
Prisoners were able to get vaccinated as soon as their age group or demographic was invited to.
That meant staff braved catching the virus while going in to work, in an environment that the prison said made disease control very challenging. A month later, in March, staffing reduced to critical levels as 21% were reported absent because they had COVID-19 or were self-isolating. Several staff members were hospitalised.
In March, South Dorset MP Richard Drax secured 10 vaccine doses per day at the Bournemouth International Centre. JCVI policy also allowed for surplus vaccines to be offered to prison officers. The prison says while it was never able to take advantage of that, in the future it would consider any similar policy 'indefensible'.
The annual report by the Independent Monitoring Board into HMP The Verne reads:
"Before this advice from JCVI was published, the Board was extremely concerned at the prospect of surplus doses being destroyed rather than being offered to staff.
"The Board understands that, in the event, the question of diverting surplus doses did not arise at The Verne. Notwithstanding, in any future pandemic, the Board would view a policy of insisting on surplus dose disposal as indefensible."
The Board also said in its report:
"Only by very careful re-deployment and with staff volunteering to work what would otherwise be seen as excessively long hours was a viable regime maintained at the height of lockdown.
"While the Board commends Governor Bourne and his staff for their dedication during this period, it hopes that, in any future pandemic, their vulnerability will be recognised, and appropriate protection offered."