12 October 2023
Congratulations to our colleagues working with prisoners who were presented with a Certificate of Excellence at the North East Prison After Care Society (Nepacs) Ruth Cranfield Awards.
Gemma Fawcett-Smith, registered learning disability nurse, Tracey Forster, speech and language therapist, and Pam Jenkins, speech and language assistant, based at HMP Holme House in Stockton, collected the award for showing good practice in rehabilitation for their work with the neurodevelopment pathway, training staff and reasonable adjustments for individuals.
“Gemma, Tracey and Pam have spent a great deal of time adapting the neurodiversity pathway within the prison, improving awareness of communication difficulties and creating materials to support the men in our care who have a learning disability or autism diagnosis,” said Emma Langstone, advanced nurse practitioner, who nominated them.
“Easy read materials have been developed to help individuals understand and grasp the prison processes, why they might feel distress and who to contact to seek support and so they don’t feel uncomfortable.
“Acting as advocates in multi-agency meetings, Gemma, Tracey and Pam make sure that everyone is able to access the support they need. They have emphasized the complexity of needs, created communication plans, accompanied to GP appointments, liaised with kitchen and discipline staff and have provided access to easy read licence conditions upon release.
“The work that they have undertaken allows partner agencies to acknowledge the impact that such issues can have and lead to an understanding of how people struggling with these difficulties can be best supported. They have also spent time providing training around communication, autism and learning disabilities, both within the team and the wider prison services.
“Invaluable to the team, their knowledge and passion has not only improved patient experience, but we’ve received positive feedback from everyone who works alongside them. Through the interventions and materials, they have developed and improved their understanding around those with a learning disability and plan to develop this further with focus groups to learn more about what will improve the experience of the prisoners.”
Kayleigh Parris, service manager, said: “The team have worked exceptionally hard to develop and embed the neurodevelopmental pathway. Working in partnership with our HMP prison service colleagues we’ve been able to offer a really impactful way to support the men in the establishment along their rehabilitative journey.”
Nepacs is a north east charity that promotes a positive future for prisoners, offenders and their relatives. The charity holds an annual awards ceremony to recognise the contribution professionals make to reduce crime in the region and help offenders turn their lives around.
