Maria’s passion project sets the standard for prison wellbeing
NHFT now provides healthcare services at 14 different prisons and secured sites around the Midlands. The latest of these to come on board is North Sea Camp, an open prison housing around 300 male inmates on the coast just outside Boston in Lincolnshire.
Open prisons are for those who have been risk-assessed as suitable for this environment, and their focus is on getting prisoners ready to resettle in the community at the end of their sentences.
Learning new skills and looking after their own health and wellbeing are key to completing prisoner rehabilitation - and it's in this area that North Sea Camp is really leading the way, thanks to Maria Cawthorn.
Maria joined the prison healthcare team supporting the administration team, where she initially took responsibility for running a monthly wellbeing event. When the chance came along to apply for a new role of wellbeing lead in 2023, she grabbed it with both hands. With help from the prisoners themselves, she's since built a successful prison-wide wellbeing programme from the ground up.
"It's all about encouraging the prison population to take more responsibility for their own health and wellbeing, and equipping them with the skills and the confidence they need to do that", says Maria, pictured right.
"I was really keen to include the prisoners as much as possible with developing this so while I put the initial programme together myself, it's their involvement that has made it what it is today."
Sessions take place every weekday and cover a wide range of topics, including weight management, healthy eating, smoking cessation, gardening, exercise, creative writing, art, yoga, meditation, money management and resilience.
The monthly wellbeing events continue to improve mental and physical health awareness, regularly attracting an average of 80 prisoners. Community partners are brought in to support with certain activities, such as a dementia friends group run with the Alzheimer's Society and an art mural project (pictured below) delivered in partnership with local hospice charity St Barnabas.
Maria also supports staff wellbeing at the prison and is now working with NHFT secured services leads to look at how the programme can be extended to the Trust's other prison sites around the region.
"This programme is my baby and I'm so passionate about it", says Maria. "I'm proud to have set it up completely from scratch and I feel like it's got legs to be adapted and rolled out across more of our sites.
"It will really mean a lot to be able to empower others to share knowledge, show they care and that people in prison have got a second chance - as well as the tools to make the right choices about their health and wellbeing."