Prison staff at Glasgow’s HMP Barlinnie took over 9000 sick days with the Scottish prison service facing a ticking timebomb.
In the first 10 months of last year, more than 65,000 working days were lost due to illness, with staff reportedly “tired and broken”. Barlinnie saw 9,125 sick days – the most in Scotland.
Phil Fairlie, assistant general secretary of the Prison Officers Association, told the Sunday Mail : “Next to mental health issues, the next most significant reason for staff absence is musculoskeletal injuries, in an ageing, overworked and overtired workforce.
“They have been patrolling the galleries, breaking up fights, taking punches and kicks and running up and down stairs in response to alarms for decades.
“They are tired and some are broken. To expect prison officers to operate in that environment well into their 60s is madness and government needs to address this.
“It is a ticking time bomb for our prisons and a genuine risk to the prisons’ ability to continue to function effectively.
“Our members are working in overcrowded, volatile and challenging circumstances over a prolonged period of time and it is taking its toll. The overcrowding and increase in violence is clearly a factor but it is only a part of the story.
“Ironically, with such high sick numbers we are dependent on more and more staff working longer hours and doing significant amounts of overtime, just to keep the prisons functioning.”
Elsewhere, Glenochil was second worst in Scotland with 8,459 sick days, then HMP Edinburgh with 6934.
Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill MSP said: “The SNP government must act now to protect public safety and ensure staff receive the adequate support needed for people in these vital roles.”
Scottish Conservative justice spokesperson Liam Kerr added: “The more staff who are absent or forced to leave, the worse things will get for those left to pick up the pieces.”
An SPS spokesperson said: “While our staff numbers have increased, particularly with the transition of HMP Kilmarnock into SPS control in March 2024, we recognise the impact of absence and seek to support those individuals, their colleagues, and wider establishments.
“In September, last year, we signed up to NHS Lothian’s Lifelines Scotland project, a dedicated service to promote wellbeing and resilience among emergency responders, in addition to supporting staff through our employee assistance programme and occupation health.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the importance of providing a safe environment for staff who work in our prisons, which can be a difficult and intensive environment.”
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