Ministerial Accountability Board: progress report - March 2026

7. Theme: Suicide Prevention

Recommendation 9 (Katie & William FAI): SPS should provide a 24 hour helpline for family members to report suicide concerns to prison staff.

Progress:

• Complete:
  • In February 2024, SPS strengthened the ability to raise a concern by introducing a dedicated 24-hour concern line for all prisons in Scotland.
  • This concern line can be utilised by anyone to raise a concern about someone in SPS custody. The telephone numbers are readily available on the SPS website in the ‘Family and Friends’ section.
  • The SPS webpage also details how to raise a concern about an individual’s mental health and wellbeing and what action SPS will take following receipt of such information.
  • Internal review of concern line completed in 2025.
• Ongoing:
  • Continuous improvement work based on findings from the internal review, including making guidance and messaging clearer.
  • Engagement with families to support this work.

Recommendation 14 (Katie & William FAI): Review and overhaul of 'Talk to Me'; and

Recommendation 4 (Jack McKenzie FAI): Suicide risk assessment to be completed for chronic/habitual drug-users when removed from MORS; and

Recommendation 5 (Jack McKenzie FAI): Review and overhaul of 'Talk to Me' to reflect enhanced risk for chronic/habitual drug use.

Progress:

• Complete:
  • New process introduced across HMP & YOIs Polmont and Stirling where every young person is placed on heightened observations for their first 72 hours in prison custody and then until such time as a Case Conference assesses they have all suitable information required to support a decision to remove them from this. Standard Operating Procedures have been developed to ensure the process is robust and staff understand their responsibilities. An independent review of this specific process was commissioned and completed, including user-voice input, and will inform future process refinements.
  • Independent review of Talk to Me commissioned and completed.
  • Report of findings from independent review published^[2] and shared with relevant stakeholders.
  • SPS ‘Commitment to Change: Suicide Prevention Pathway in Scottish Prisons’ published^[3] outlining the new approach to suicide prevention.
• Ongoing:
  • Consideration of recommendations from Talk to Me independent review and how these can be feasibly incorporated into the new suicide prevention approach.
  • Development of a detailed implementation plan for the new suicide prevention approach. This will be fully sequenced and integrate policy, operational processes, training, estates requirements and digital enablers to ensure a coordinated and effective approach.
  • Evaluation of training needs and identification of pilot opportunities across a few prisons prior to wider roll out.
  • Deliver the new approach to suicide prevention in all prisons across the SPS estate.

Recommendation 15 (Katie & William FAI) & Recommendation 3 (Jack McKenzie FAI): Where a prisoner has died by suicide, the DIPLAR process must consider, and if so advised make recommendations, in relation to the safety of their physical environment with Polmont and the means by which they were able to complete suicide.

Progress:

• Complete:
  • SPS has reviewed and implemented revised DIPLAR paperwork and guidance in October 2024 across the SPS estate. This requires staff to include details of the environment in cases where the death was suicide by ligature, including recording the fixture point and ligature used.
  • It is required as part of the DIPLAR process, to consider and where appropriate, make recommendations, in relation to the safety and condition of the physical environment, the means by which a person dies by suicide and if by ligature the nature and availability of the item used.
  • SPS has appointed four independent individuals to chair all DIPLARs.

Action 1 (Cabinet Secretary Commitment): All Death in Prison Learning and Audit Reviews (DIPLAR) reviews should have an independent chair.

Progress:

• Complete:
  • Procurement exercise completed to appoint independent chairs for all DIPLARS.
  • Four individuals appointed to chair DIPLARS going forward to ensure suitable independence.