Recommendation 1
Reintroduce arrangements at Hakea for new young offenders, including a specific assessment of their risk and vulnerability, automatic referrals to support services, and an extended period in orientation.
Recommendation 2
Renovate a number of cells at Hakea to support the living requirements of elderly, infirm and disabled prisoners.
Recommendation 3
Invest in body worn cameras and improved CCTV for high-risk areas of Hakea Prison and other maximum-security prisons.
Recommendation 4
Upgrade the fence between Hakea and Melaleuca to rectify identified weaknesses.
Recommendation 5
Explore current and emerging technologies with a view to implementing enhanced processes for the detection of secreted items while reducing reliance on strip-searching.
Recommendation 6
Resource and implement systemic management of environmental health at Hakea, including oversight of cleaning, food storage and service, and pest control.
Recommendation 7
Cease the redeployment of the Library VSO and ensure regular prisoner access to Hakea’s two libraries.
Recommendation 8
Bring the Hakea kitchen up to required food hygiene standards.
Recommendation 9
Review the functioning of health and mental health teams in prisons, and where necessary take steps to restore cohesion and improve services.
Recommendation 10
Clinical information sharing should be improved by the following:
- Negotiating and implementing an agreement with the Department of Health to provide PSOLIS access for Department of Justice Mental Health Staff (the advent of Web PSOLIS in August 2021 may prove to be an opportunity to facilitate this).
- Developing a process for the PHS to feedback to the referrer, or for that information to be accessible on EcHO.
- Reviewing access to the Statement of Material Facts for mental health staff.
- Exploring the feasibility of providing access to EcHO for on call medical staff.
- Reviewing access to health information from other prisons for all health staff.
Recommendation 11
Revise the appointment booking process, in Hakea and at all other prisons, to ensure that it is effective, efficient and makes the best use of available resources.
Recommendation 12
Revise the initial health screen to include identification of intellectual disability and cognitive impairment.
Recommendation 13
The Department of Justice must develop a model of care for the statewide provision of culturally safe healthcare in custodial settings.
Recommendation 14
Identify and/or allocate consistent, safe consulting rooms for the PHS team either within or adjacent to Hakea’s health centre.
Recommendation 15
Improve the referral interface between primary care and the mental health team.
Recommendation 16
The Department and Hakea should establish a project group to work towards the development of a mental health unit or area at the prison.
Recommendation 17
Urgently address the lack of access to involuntary mental health care by:
- Developing a process to report on and monitor the number of prisoners who remain in prison while requiring an inpatient bed for treatment of mental illness (including the ability to track and report on individual cases and actual wait times).
- Agree on a set of clinical criteria to identify when safe care cannot be provided on site, and transfer to an emergency department is necessary.
Recommendation 18
The Department should provide increased role specific training and support to staff tasked with chairing PRAG, and those conducting intake risk assessments across the prison estate.
Recommendation 19
Review the morning PRAG process, to ensure the most relevant support services are included and have sufficient time to conduct their risk assessments. Make sure this process is therapeutic and not distressing to prisoners.
Recommendation 20
Introduce a standardised withdrawal treatment plan based on best practice.
Recommendation 21
Provide additional support for the Transitional Manager.