National Preventive Mechanism Tenth Annual Report 2018–19 Joint working across the NPM Working together as members of the NPM to strengthen the protection of those in detention in the UK is one of the NPM’s strategic goals.102 As well as collaborating during inspections and on joint NPM thematic projects, members of the NPM work together on a wide range of initiatives aimed at strengthening their OPCAT compliance and detention monitoring. Some notable examples from the year include: • W ork between ICVA, HMICFRS and HMI Prisons was strengthened in 2018–19. ICVA agreed a formal way of working with the inspectorates and independent custody visiting schemes, which includes ensuring the scheme manager receives a bespoke report based on the inspectorates’ reports, setting out findings that are particularly significant for the independent custody visitors. These new arrangements help to ensure that ICV schemes and the inspectorates can discuss specific findings and share their expertise. • In April 2018, Ofsted and CQC drew up an agreement that CQC will support Ofsted in leading inspections of secure children’s homes, putting previous informal arrangements on a formal footing, and helping to improve the consistency of inspections. • CI continues to support HMIPS on inspections of prisons – this year it observed three prison inspections to HMP Addiewell, HMP YOI Polmont and HMP Grampian. The involvement of CI enables a more comprehensive assessment of the care and support provided to prisoners, with a particular focus on social care adaptations and communication between the prison and other agencies. • HMICS and CI, working with other partners including Healthcare Improvement Scotland, introduced a new model for the joint inspection of the care of young people and children, focusing on improving outcomes for children in residential and secure care. So far three joint inspections have been carried out under this framework. • T o help organise and strengthen a more joined up approach to monitoring treatment and conditions in police custody in Scotland, HMICS and ICVS have formalised arrangements for sharing information through a memorandum of understanding. Working together with HMICS, ICVS is currently working on creating a sanctions policy to ensure that detainees are able to speak to custody visitors openly and without fear of reprisal. • HMI Prisons and the IMB continue to work together. The IMB sent a letter to Ministers in May 2018 expressing serious concerns about inhumane treatment at HMP Birmingham. HMI Prisons carried out an inspection in July and August 2018, in part due to the concerns noted by the IMB. Following the inspection, HMI Prisons invoked the Urgent Notification process with the Secretary of State regarding HMP Birmingham, highlighting inspection findings that the prison was in an ‘appalling state’ and ‘fundamentally unsafe’.103 As a direct result, ministers decided that the management of 102 National Preventive Mechanism, January 2019, ‘The NPM in 2017-18’, Ninth Annual Report, https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws. com/npm-prod-storage-19n0nag2nk8xk/uploads/2019/01/6.5163_NPM_AR_2017-18_WEB.pdf [accessed 05/12/19] 103 HM Inspectorate of Prisons, September 2018, Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Birmingham, https://www. justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/12/HMP-Birmingham-Web-2018.pdf [accessed 05/12/19] 46