Report of the Inquiry into the circumstances of the Death of Bernard ...

Closing a Plan
14.25 The form says that a significant number of people have killed themselves soon
after coming off an F2052SH (the predecessor to ACCT) and identifies ways to try to
prevent this happening. During the course of reviews, the person at risk should be
encouraged to build up their own support networks and coping strategies. Levels of
support should be reduced gradually. An ACCT Plan can be closed only when the
review team considers it safe to do so. That is:
the problems that caused the ACCT Plan to be opened have been resolved or
reduced
the individual is able to cope with any remaining difficulties
they have access to at least some positive sources of support, through activities
or people, and they know who to contact if they need support in future.
Post-closure interview
14.26 A date must be fixed for a post-closure interview. The closed plan remains on the
wing until the case manager is satisfied no further post-closure interviews are required.
The date of the first post-closure interview is to be decided by the case review team but
must be within seven days of closing the plan.
Equipment and the built environment
14.27 PSO 2700 contains policies about the provision of ‘safer cells’, with furniture and
window bars designed to make the attachment of ligatures very difficult. The PSO
emphasises that safer cells cannot deal with the problems underlying a prisoner’s selfharming
or suicidal behaviours and cannot replace a regime providing individualised and
multi-disciplinary care for at-risk prisoners (PSO 2700. paragraph 10.1.2).
14.28 The PSO requires all prisons to have local arrangements for staff to carry antiligature
knives. It states that all “unified and uniformed staff in closed and semi-open
establishments must be provided with and carry on duty their own personal issue cutdown
tool. It is not sufficient for tools to be held in a box in the office….” (PSO 2700,
paragraph 11.3.3)
118