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Independent Monitoring Boards annual report

Huntercombe

Report year 2022 Published 20 Jun 2023 Type Prison, category C Population 469 Responsible body Huntercombe 7 recommendations

Original IMB report page ↗ Ministerial response, 4 Aug 2023 ↗ imb.org.uk ↗

The summary and positive findings below were written from the report by an AI model. The Board's own wording is in the report linked above.

Summary

Summary written by this site (AI-generated)
HMP Huntercombe returned to a full regime in 2022, and the Board commended staff for their work. However, significant concerns remain, particularly regarding the ongoing detention of foreign nationals beyond their sentence expiry due to Home Office delays in processing deportation orders. The prison also faces challenges with an antiquated heating system, water ingress in healthcare, reduced education provision due to staffing, and issues with inter-prison property transfers.

Positive findings

Summary written by this site (AI-generated)
The Board was pleased to see a return to a normal regime and prisoners engaging in meaningful activity. Staff were commended for their work in helping prisoners progress. Healthcare provision saw a seamless handover to a new head, and sharing of health information with prison staff improved. The resettlement team made good progress in developing support for prisoners. There was a reduction in outstanding complaints, for which the prison was commended.

Recommendations

All 7 recommendations

Key concerns

All 7 key concerns

Recommendations 7 items · 4 repeated

Recommendations were extracted from the report by AI, and responses and their status from the ministerial response by AI. Each recommendation shows whether its wording has been checked against the report.

Recommendation 1

Addressee: Other, minister · Topic: Resettlement · Repeated from a previous year

Recommendation (the Board's words)
the Board has witnessed an ever-increasing number of foreign national prisoners (FNPs) transferred to HMP Huntercombe without a deportation order (DO), without which removals under the ERS cannot be facilitated. At the end of the reporting year, only 76 men from a roll of 469 had had a DO issued.

Source text verified

Recommendation 2

Addressee: Other, minister · Topic: Resettlement · Repeated from a previous year

Recommendation (the Board's words)
the lack of triaging of all FNPs by the Home Office prior to their arrival at HMP Huntercombe, and thus many arriving already past their ERS date, remains a matter of grave concern to the Board.

Source text verified

Recommendation 3

Addressee: Other, minister · Topic: Resettlement · Repeated from a previous year

Recommendation (the Board's words)
the ongoing issue of FNPs who have passed their conditional release date (CRD) and are held as IS91 under immigration powers. The Board has noted no improvement in this matter since first reporting it in our report of 2020.

Source text verified

Recommendation 4

Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Estate

Recommendation (the Board's words)
To facilitate the upgrading of the antiquated heating and hot water systems, repeated breakdowns of which not only cause inconvenience but cause frustration and resentment towards prison staff and senior management.

Source text verified

Recommendation 5

Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Healthcare

Recommendation (the Board's words)
To urgently replace the part of the healthcare facility which has water ingress and is therefore not a suitable working environment.

Source text verified

Recommendation 6

Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Education

Recommendation (the Board's words)
To review the education contract in order to reinstate popular and worthwhile courses into the curriculum (paragraph 7.1.1) and to enable the full information, advice and guidance (IAG) level 4 diploma and City and Guilds course to recommence. (paragraph 7.1.4)

Source text verified

Recommendation 7

Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Other · Repeated from a previous year

Recommendation (the Board's words)
there remain significant issues about property transfers between prisons.

Source text verified

Key concerns 7 items

Key concerns were extracted from the report text by an AI model.

Key concern 1

Resettlement/Release · Repeated from a previous year

the ongoing incarceration of men who have passed their sentence expiry date and are held under immigration powers (IS91s), who remain under convicted criminal conditions.

Key concern 2

Resettlement/Release · Repeated from a previous year

the Board has witnessed an ever-increasing number of foreign national prisoners (FNPs) transferred to HMP Huntercombe without a deportation order (DO), without which removals under the ERS cannot be facilitated.

Key concern 3

Resettlement/Release · Repeated from a previous year

the lack of triaging of all FNPs by the Home Office prior to their arrival at HMP Huntercombe, and thus many arriving already past their ERS date, remains a matter of grave concern to the Board.

Key concern 4

Estate/Conditions

facilitate the upgrading of the antiquated heating and hot water systems, repeated breakdowns of which not only cause inconvenience but cause frustration and resentment towards prison staff and senior management.

Key concern 5

Healthcare

urgently replace the part of the healthcare facility which has water ingress and is therefore not a suitable working environment.

Key concern 6

Education/Purposeful Activity

review the education contract in order to reinstate popular and worthwhile courses into the curriculum (paragraph 7.1.1) and to enable the full information, advice and guidance (IAG) level 4 diploma and City and Guilds course to recommence. (paragraph 7.1.4)

Key concern 7

Other · Repeated from a previous year

there remain significant issues about property transfers between prisons.

Safety statistics

Incidents during the reporting year.

IndicatorThis yearPrevious
Deaths in custody0not recorded
Self-harm incidents96not recorded
ACCT cases opened96100
Prisoner assaults5740
Use of force53not recorded

Population

Population469
Operational capacity480

Applications to the IMB

CategoryCurrentPrevious
Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions 4 12
Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) 0 1
Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions 0 3
Equality 0 1
Finance, including pay, private monies, spends 5 4
Food and kitchens 3 2
Health, including physical, mental, social care 23 26
Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions 4 17
Miscellaneous, including complaints system 5 3
Property during transfer or in another establishment or location 15 13
Property within this establishment 12 15
Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell 9 3
Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation 32 13
Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying 45 29
Transfers 4 1

Report details

Establishment
Huntercombe
Type
Prison, category C
Report year
2022
Published
20 June 2023
Responsible body
Huntercombe
Recommendations
7
MoJ rating (2025/26)
3, Good

Service providers

ServiceProvider
Careers information, advice and guidanceACORN
Drug and alcohol recoveryMidland Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
EducationMilton Keynes College
General maintenanceGov Facility Services Ltd
HealthcarePractice Plus Group
Mental healthOxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

Other reports for Huntercombe

2025

Published 22 Jul 2026 · Population 491 · Self-harm 73 · Key concerns recorded

2024

Published 27 Jun 2025 · Population 491 · Self-harm 63 · Key concerns recorded

2023

Published 5 Jul 2024 · Population 470 · Key concerns recorded

2021

Published 22 Jun 2022 · Population 447 · Self-harm 100 · Key concerns recorded

2020

Published 6 Aug 2021 · Population 420 · Self-harm 115 · Key concerns recorded