Recommendation 1
Are there any plans to review the performance of the service provided by GFSL?
Source · IMB Annual Report
Standford Hill
AI-generated report summary HMP/YOI Standford Hill is recognized as a well-run Category D prison, excelling in resettlement and providing substantial opportunities for prisoners to gain skills and employment, contributing to low re-offending rates. The prison maintains a safe environment with zero reported self-harm, assaults, or deaths in custody during the reporting period, and healthcare provision has significantly improved. Key concerns include the persistent poor performance of GFSL, the potential negative impact of the TPRS on resettlement, and the need for scanning equipment and modern monitoring technology.
Year: 2023
Published: 19 Sep 2023
Type: Prison · Cat D
Population: 460
Recommendations: 9
Key concerns
Positive findings
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 0 | — |
| Self-harm incidents | 0 | — |
| ACCT cases opened | 0 | — |
| Prisoner assaults | 0 | — |
| Assaults on staff | 0 | — |
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryHMP/YOI Standford Hill is a well-run prison with substantial achievements, particularly in resettlement, working-out, training, and education, which significantly reduces re-offending rates. The prison maintains low levels of violence, self-harm, and deaths in custody. Staff sickness rates have notably improved, positively affecting the regime. The physical and mental healthcare provided by Oxleas NHS Trust is very good and well co-ordinated, including new weekend provision.
Key concerns
We continue to be dissatisfied with the performance of Gov Facilities Services Ltd (GFSL). In previous reports we have highlighted the slowness of dealing with maintenance issues. This has continued into this year. The Governor reviews performance regularly but in the view of the IMB the system continues to be unresponsive and slow. As part of our monitoring, we have reported on the problems with machinery in the laundry. The response has been generally very unsatisfactory, and repairs have been very slow considering the laundry provides daily services to prisoners. Some of the machines are domestic and not commercial, meaning they are not suited to the level of use they get. We find GFSL to be bureaucratic and slow in its procedures and simple requests can take a significant time to resolve. The processes of GFSL need to improve as do response times.
The Temporary Presumptive Recategorisation Scheme (TPRS) could result in a dilution of the resettlement work undertaken by Category D prisons and a reduction in prisoners involved in the Working Out Scheme (WOS).
Currently the prison has no scanning equipment, and this lack of a sophisticated deterrent is a problem. We are informed that spare scanners exist within the prison estate but the funds for the transfer, installation and maintenance of such equipment are not available.
The monitoring of prisoners on Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) and the Working Out Scheme (WOS) could be made much more effective by commercially available technological solutions, which are not yet approved by the Prison Service.
Although there is some information sharing between Category D prisons there is a lack of comparatives. Standard comparative information would be a benefit to all as this would allow best practice to be shared more easily. We believe that Standford Hill has achievements and procedures that could benefit the Category D estate more widely.
Food is supplied by Swaleside prison and is brought in twice daily. The food is of a basic standard, but the quality fluctuates. Under the plans for the creation of additional accommodation a kitchen facility will be built on site. After so many years we strongly support this development. Some prisoners prefer to use the microwaves to cook their own recipes and these are extensively used. IMB members sample the food from time to time and regularly discuss the quality with prisoners. It must be said that there is a lot of dissatisfaction with the quality of food and some prisoners have been quite vociferous about the standard of the catering provision. While portion size is generally considered adequate the quality and variety of the food is regularly criticised. The ability to produce food at Standford Hill will be a big step forward but plans to achieve this have been set back by the failure of the previously assigned contractor shortly before commencement of work. The project has now been re-tendered.
We reported on sporadic internet facilities. There has not been an improvement in the year.
Although maintenance has been carried out, the condition of much of the property is the same.
Recommendations
Recommendation 2
Will a formal review of the impact be carried out?
Recommendation 3
Is the Prison Service satisfied with the performance of GFSL?
Recommendation 4
Is a formal review planned about the effect of TPRS on the resettlement work done in Category D prisons?
Recommendation 5
Will the Prison Service provide the resources to allow for this equipment to be installed in Standford Hill?
Recommendation 6
Will the Prison Service allow such equipment to be used within Standford Hill?
Recommendation 7
Will the Prison Service facilitate more formal sharing of best practice between Category D prisons?
Recommendation 8
Will it be possible to improve staff sickness rates further while maintaining a compassionate working environment?
Recommendation 9
We assume that this focus will continue into the next reporting period?
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 1 | 1 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 3 | 0 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 4 | 0 |
| Equality | 3 | 0 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 8 | 0 |
| Food and kitchens | 5 | 1 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 4 | 3 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 2 | 0 |
| Miscellaneous | 3 | 0 |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 7 | 0 |
| Property within the establishment | 1 | 0 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 5 | 3 |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 8 | 6 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 4 | 0 |
| Transfers | 0 | 0 |
Related inspections & investigations
Safety 4
· Respect 3
· Activity 4
· Release 4
Stuart Cordner · Self-inflicted
David Willis · Natural causes
Trowbridge, Mark · Natural causes
Individual at Standford Hill · Natural causes
Individual at Standford Hill · Natural causes
Other reports for Standford Hill
Population 457
· Concerns
Population 461
· Self-harm 0
· Concerns
Population 499
· Concerns
Population 458
· Concerns
· Self-harm 2
· Concerns