prison nurse

[coops1989]

Hi,
i was wondering what peoples' thoughts were on this.

I am currently 16 weeks pregnant and work in a cat b sex offender prison.
I told work when i was 5 weeks pregnant as i was unsure as to if this would be an issue due to the nature of the prison.

they completed my risk assessment at 6 weeks and have pretty much kept me doing mostly the same things, so i still go onto the wings (just cant go alone) i run clinics (on my own), complete the assessments on my own when we have new prisoners come into the prison. the times i am on my own there is usually an officer outside (although they are minding 4 rooms at the same time and regularly go and sit with the prisoners on the wrong side of the gate instead of staying with the staff like they are supposed to.
and when i do the assessments on new people there are usually a few (around 3) officers floating around in other offices but may be upto 20 prisoners sitting outside my door as thats where the chairs are.

recently the prisoners have started asking me if i am pregnant which i just change the subject, however them knowing this could make me a priority target if something kicks off.

my managers do not see my concerns and have told me that there are officers around and i have a rape alarm so there are no issues.

i have looked at policies and my contract and there is nothing really that talks about patient facing roles whilst pregnant so they are able to do what they see fit which isnt the same thoughts as me.

im just not sure if im making a mountain out of a mole hill here or something.
does anyone else have any experience with this sort of situation??

theyre also being a pain about my hours, they told me they would reduce my daily hours and increase my amount of days working to compensate as im having a lot of issues with PGP especially after a 12.5hour shift of either sitting for long periods of time or standing in one place for long periods of time.

but now theyve decided they cant accommodate it and cant give me a new date to start it. they also changed the start and finish times from what they were originally knowing full well that if i am set to finish at 18:30 there is literally no way ill be able to leave as it is right in the middle of the medication round so i wouldnt get out for another 45 minutes.. where as originally they said i could leave 5:30 so i would be leaving before it started...

i fell like theyre messing me around a bit now

sorry for the long post

Are you going through an occupational health department for these assessments? It sounds like it would be worth involving them if not.

im still waiting for my new starter occy health appointment and ive been with them for 7 months, its my manager who has been doing the assessments so no

Can I ask who has undertaken the risk assessment, as in is it the prison management or a NHS Trust?
I would say it needs escalating.

I used to work in a Cat C.
All women were moved to non-accessible areas when their pregnancy began to show. I'd pop into the prison admin office and ask there. Ultimately you have to follow the prison's rules.

This might sound like a tangent, but I think there’s some read across. When I was in the forces, one of the girls got pregnant whilst we were away on operations, though somewhere relatively benign (some people go on holiday to that country). She was immediately sent back to the UK, because although there was a only a slightly increased risk and the Mum-to-be was happy to stay and finish her tour, the baby can’t make that decision or accept that risk, so it was considered unethical to have them stay.

As far as I can see, the same principle applies to your situation. Different employers and attitudes though, obviously.

I used to work for a healthcare provider in a prison. Whenever a member of staff was pregnant, they were taken off prisoner facing duties and would only work in the office, and as long as they didn't need to walk across a wing to get to the office.

I work in a prison and officers are taken off the wings if they are pregnant so I think you are entitled to ask for a better risk assessment. I agree with the pp - go via the prison route if health care won’t take you seriously.

my manager in the healthcare sector. its not an NHS service in the prison it is private. they dont get the prison involved with anything to do with the healthcare team

we had a paramedic working with us and she was 37 weeks when i last saw her and still expected to be patient facing. shes the only other pregnant person ive seen whilst working here and i didnt get chance to speak to her about it.
ill definitely have a chat with the prison about it

I just wanted to add this link here - if you are unable to sort this out with your employers it might be worth giving the helpline a call for advice.

pregnantthenscrewed.com/help/

I am a social worker, working in a mental health facility for offenders.

When I fell pregnant I told them, and my risk assessment was abysmal.

I told them I would no longer go onto the wards in the end as I felt so unsafe. It only takes a huge push by someone doesn't it?

And when I needed to see a patient, I'd either do it via zoom or have someone handcuffed to them at all times.

I know it is different for you as you are a nurse so you need to come into close contact but I would see what else could be done. Nothing is worth the risk of something happening to your baby.

As a member of the public with no experience of prisons, I am really shocked by your post, OP.

I would expect a member of staff in your position to be taken off prisoner facing duties completely.

If I were you I'd put in writing that you feel unsafe, you refute the risk assessment etc.

If they still do nothing, I'd get signed off with stress.

thank you i will have a look into this :)

i get grief off other members of staff at the minute just for not being able to wander the prison alone as it doubles their work load so i doubt id have any chance just telling them i wont be doing it.
but yes thats one of the things im worries about, here i for is relatively calm im comparison to other prisons which is what my managers keep telling me however over the last few weeks we have been having more incidences with prisoners becoming aggressive with the health care staff due to medication issues and changes (which is out of out control through stock or doctors choices and leaving us to pick up the pieces) so im more concerned than i was before

i wish i could sign off with stress but out sickness policy is shocking and i wouldnt be able to afford to live on the crappy pay they would give me, we dont get paid for the first week of sickness and then its basic sat sick pay after that

Oh OP...I'm sorry I didn't realise this.

Are you friends with any of the other staff? Could you share that you're scared, and worried, and ask them to stay close etc?

I would escalate this however you can. Are you in a union? Perhaps consider joining one so you can get their advice?

I worked in a school for children with profound and multiple disabilities when I got pregnant. My risk assessment was a joke. As my bump developed I highlighted several times that a pupil with extreme behavioural needs was becoming fixated on my bump and I was worried he was going to do something. I was dismissed with 'all new mums worry too much'

I was attacked a few weeks after this conversation, by this child and he punched and kicked solely my bump. At the hospital (which I had to beg to be allowed to leave work to attend and get checked out) they said I was very fortunate to be at the stage of pregnancy I was. That any earlier could have induced a miscarriage and any later could have induced labour and that I needed to stop work in order to be safe (they may have been laying the point on thick to get me to stop work but it terrified me so job done).

My 'revised' risk assessment basically said that I was to keep out of this pupils way. He was kept in my class but I was supposed to keep out of his way and 'not put myself in a position to be attacked by him'. This is not a sufficient risk assessment. This is not removing the risk to the pregnant person. This is putting all onus on the person the risk assessment is about and not stating any steps the employer is taking to manage the risk. It would have been torn to shreds if I had taken it further. Much like your risk assessment. It is not acceptable just to give you a rape alarm and hope for the best. An alarm cannot stop you being attacked. Officers nearby cannot stop you from an initial attack. They might be able to intervene IF they are alerted (and hear what is going on and are near enough) but can't stop the initial attack unless they are in the room with you. Better still you shouldn't be in the room at all.

I'm sorry to be so doom laden but my experience was terrifying. I was much younger and much more fearful of what they could do to my job or any reference I might need from them to report them. I wouldn't hesitate now. You need to protect yourself and your baby. A previous poster made an excellent point that your baby can't consent to be in risky situations and should be protected fully. Please please escalate this to occy health or to your union or to SOMEONE. My baby was fine, thankfully but very easily couldn't have been. I was a mess for months afterwards. I would hate for anyone else to go through this if it can be avoided.

Such an eloquent - devastating - post. So glad you're ok.

I’m an ex prison officer in HSE who told work when I was 5 weeks. I was immediately taken off the wing and not allowed any prisoner contact. I wasn’t even allowed to move around or be in any area where prisoners might walk near/past at unlock times.
I’m also ex prison civvy before that where we’d be in 3 classrooms in one building, with an officer not even in the building but in the one next door so completely understand the risks.
I’d absolutely be pushing for more to be done for your safety. There’s the physical risks to you if someone kicks off as well as, awful to say, sorry to anyone who hasn’t worked with them, but it’s the job, the nature of working with SO’s and what goes on in their heads.
If someone wants to do something they absolutely will and the presence of someone else isn’t going to deter them much. Really think your employer is letting you down here, don’t be deterred. Good luck

"i get grief off other members of staff at the minute just for not being able to wander the prison alone as it doubles their work load so i doubt id have any chance just telling them i wont be doing it."

Then those staff members need to talk to management to find a solution. That is not your problem. That is an issue for management to sort out. Your priority is to be safe and protected at work. Pregnancy is a protected status, you shouldn't be discriminated against because you are pregnant. We are allowed to work whilst pregnant. We are allowed to have accommodations made in order to be safe and well whilst pregnant. This isn't a new concept and it enrages me when work places behave as if it is.

I'd definitely raise directly with the prison. Most the time people get moved off prisoner facing duties when pregnant, they might also be able to share if they local policy for pregnant staff.

14.0 New and expectant mothers
14.1 3rd Party Employees
In general, 3rd party service providers operating on HMPPS’ premises are responsible for managing the risks to their pregnant employees. However, HMPPS’ does have duty to protect them. HMPPS should co-operate with such employers in doing so. This applies, for example, where a healthcare or education worker is pregnant. On being notified of same, the employer should liaise with local HMPPS’ management to decide on and implement suitable joint controls.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/972032/psi-06-2015-pi-03-2015-national-hs-policy.pdf

I work in Cat A prison as a nurse. I am employed by NHS. My manager completed my pregnancy risk assessment. I stayed on the floor patient facing up until 28 weeks. If I was not happy with any job that needed to be done I was able to express this and all of my colleagues were very understanding and supportive and did not expect me to endanger myself. Prison staff were readily available at all times to ensure my safety and if I had any concerns at all I was not expected nor did the prison staff let me get into a possibly compromising position. Your safety and the safety of your baby come first. Are you able to contact your occupational health dept yourself to escalate this? Have you a union that you are a member of - I would be of the expectation that they should be supporting you with this. Your manager has a duty to care for your safety as does the prison service. I'm sorry things are this awful for you and you are not getting the support you need at this very stressful time x