Prison staff mental health sick days on the rise

Almost a third of prison officers at HMP Garth took at least one day off for mental health reasons last year, the fourth highest percentage in England.

The figures relating to the high-security prison, near Leyland, Lancashire, obtained by the BBC through a Freedom of Information request, showed the percentage had increased from 15% in 2019 to 32% in 2024.

Officers across the country reported experiencing regular traumatic incidents and violence, for which they said they lacked support.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it had "inherited a prison system in crisis" from the previous government.

England's prisons lost almost 150,000 working days due to mental ill health last year, up 44% since 2019.

The Prison Officers' Association said it had "consistently" called on the service to fund specialised on-site mental health support.

National chairman Mark Fairhurst said relying on peer support would "not assist staff who deal with homicides, suicides, self-harm and bullying".

The MoJ said officers have access to mental health support and it was "investing around £15m to improve their safety".

A spokesperson added the government was tackling "unacceptable" levels of violence, self-harm and assaults through additional prison places and sentencing reforms "so our jails create better citizens, not better criminals".

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