HMPPS first introduced a prioritisation framework to help reduce staff workloads in 2022. But workloads remained high, in particular for probation officers, who were working at around 118% capacity on average, with highs of 126% in some regions including London and East of England.15 Despite this, HMPPS did not introduce further prioritisation measures until its ‘Reset’ scheme in April 2024, and then its ‘Impact’ scheme in April 2025.16 HMPPS stressed that its Reset and Impact schemes, which involved reducing supervision for lower-risk individuals to allow probation officers to focus on higher-risk offenders, were aimed at improving performance.17 HMPPS explained that it took time for trainee probation officers to become fully qualified, but that the flow of new probation officers, coupled with ‘Reset’ and ‘Impact’, was starting to make a difference.18 It also pointed to its Our Future Probation Service programme, which it hopes will reduce workloads to a manageable level by March 2027.19 9 C&AG’s Report, para 5, Figure 5 10 Qq 3, 6 11 RPS002; RPS0003 12 Qq 3, 10 13 Qq 10–15, 37 14 C&AG’s Report, para 2.6 15 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.14–2.15 16 Qq 5, 28, 45, 64 17 Qq 22, 44, 45, 51; C&AG’s Report, para 2.16 18 Qq 35, 37,38 19 Qq 63, 80 10