Winner: MOJ Shower pods, Amey and supply chain

In 2022, Amey delivered an outstanding custodial refurbishment project at HMYOI Wetherby and HMYOI Werrington that enhanced living standards, increased decency, wellbeing and respect, reduced vandalism and improved staff working conditions.

The refurbishment delivered more than additional improvements. It challenged traditional approaches and explored new possibilities that addressed client issues, created new opportunities, and positively impacted those who work and live in the prisons.

Results gleaned

With Amey being the sole UK provider of the shower pods, £6.4 million of orders have been placed by the MoJ since January 2023.

  • The delivering and commissioning of these robust and hygienic shower pods is quick and effective, with installation of each pod only taking three days to complete.
  • Very positive initial feedback has been received from the young people who use the shower pods, as well as the operational teams and senior management teams within the youth custody service, on the improvements and impacts to cleanliness, dignity and independence of occupants.
  • With personal shower pods now available to offenders in their cells, the logistical management of the offenders has improved and significantly reduced the risk to prison officers and the young offenders that were present when the previous communal shower arrangements were in place.

Best practice learning

Amey has over 30 years of experience working in high-security environments with many employees having been employed in prisons for many years, providing them with a unique set of skills and attributes that are not often found in other environments.

Requests for quotations were made by the clients at HMYOI Wetherby and HMYOI Werrington to refurbish secure wings at each of the prisons, and a secure unit within Wetherby.

A pre-construction specification and scheme was developed to assign the works to the relevant project managers and liaise with supply chain partners to price the work.

Objectives were developed that incorporated innovative and energy-efficient solutions to deliver cost savings to the client but also delivered on their social value commitment.

With the young offenders and staff in situ during works, important factors were considered including prioritising the safety of everyone within the works area, minimising disruption and working to strict security procedures.

Key quote

“Using Amey’s lessons learnt exercise reinforces collaboration between all stakeholders.

Amey’s supply chain partners operate as separate private entities and sharing best practice and identifying areas for improvement has increased their value to the wider Amey business.

Working within a high-security environment with vulnerable juveniles means Amey is restricted on how much information can be shared about its projects, however, they regularly share new contract initiatives with stakeholders, clients and the wider community.” – Karen Homer, Communications Manager, Amey