Recommendation 1
Recommendation (the Board's words)There is an urgent need to review pay and conditions at all levels in the prison service to ensure the recruitment and retention of high quality staff.
Source text verified
Independent Monitoring Boards annual report
Styal
Report year 2022
Published 23 Aug 2022
Type Prison, category female, local, YOI
Population 373
Responsible body HMP Styal
7 recommendations
Original IMB report page ↗ Ministerial response, 7 Dec 2022 ↗ 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/YOI Styal successfully managed Covid-19 spread and saw a significant reduction in self-harm, with healthcare and perinatal care provision improving. However, the Board highlighted critical staffing shortages impacting regime and services, persistent decency and fire risks in residential houses, and challenges in managing prisoners with severe mental health needs. Concerns were also raised regarding medication administration, changes to resettlement contracts, and the distress caused by the parcel ban.
Positive findings
Summary written by this site (AI-generated)The prison's management effectively reduced Covid-19 spread and maintained a positive, supportive environment for prisoners, with staff working tirelessly to keep them safe. There was a significant reduction in self-harm incidents over the year. Healthcare provision was maintained to a community standard, adapting well to pandemic challenges, and significant progress was made in perinatal care. Additionally, the percentage of prisoners released to accommodation improved to an average of 92% due to a new housing specialist role, and the visitors' centre was refurbished.
Recommendations
- Recommendation 1Addressed to HMPPS
- Recommendation 2Addressed to HMPPS
- Recommendation 3Addressed to HMPPS
Key concerns
- Key concern 1Staffing
- Key concern 2Staffing
- Key concern 3Substance Misuse
Recommendations 7 items
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 2
Recommendation (the Board's words)Increased resources are still required to support the Governor in tackling this problem, reflecting those enhanced security resources and the technology more commonly found in the male estate.
Source text verified
Recommendation 3
Recommendation (the Board's words)Nationally, there is still a pressing need for more specialist facilities that can be easily accessed, particularly psychiatric units.
Source text verified
Recommendation 4
Recommendation (the Board's words)All residential accommodation should be decent and in a good state of repair including sufficient hygiene facilities for the numbers of women.
Source text verified
Recommendation 5
Recommendation (the Board's words)consideration needs to be given to a more holistic, multi-agency approach to release arrangements to ensure fair and consistent access to support.
Source text verified
Recommendation 6
Recommendation (the Board's words)the Board feels that greater attention needs to be given to this issue.
Source text verified
Recommendation 7
Recommendation (the Board's words)a return to normal access would be beneficial to the prisoners.
Source text verified
Key concerns 13 items
Key concerns were extracted from the report text by an AI model.
Key concern 1
There have been capacity issues throughout the year with regard to staffing in the prison, impacting the regime, healthcare access, and prisoner movement.
Key concern 2
The need for escorts, due to the nature of the cohort, exacerbates the critical staffing situation, highlighting an urgent need to review pay and conditions for recruitment and retention.
Key concern 3
As the prison returns to stage 1 the resumption of visits and more free flow is likely to impact on the amount of drugs being brought into the prison by visitors and by new and recalled prisoners. Increased resources are still required to support the Governor in tackling this problem, reflecting those enhanced security resources and the technology more commonly found in the male estate.
Key concern 4
The prison continues to be challenged by the need to manage many prisoners with severe and enduring mental health problems, with a pressing national need for more specialist psychiatric facilities.
Key concern 5
There is still a significant fire risk to prisoners who reside in the 16 houses which have not yet been refurbished at Styal, as indicated in last year’s report.
Key concern 6
Almost 70% of the population reside in the houses, which continue to present decency issues regarding the number of toilets and bathrooms, and overcrowded bedrooms, impacting mental health and wellbeing.
Key concern 7
The Board remains concerned about the changes to the contracts for Through the Gate Services, with new external partners lacking requisite experience in post-release accommodation.
Source wording under review
Key concern 8
The suitability and choice of clothing provided to female, transgender and non-binary prisoners, especially underwear, is inadequate, requiring greater attention.
Key concern 9
Access to the library facilities has been restricted over the year, impacting prisoner wellbeing, with a return to normal access being beneficial.
Key concern 10
The prison has banned all incoming parcels, causing real distress as the provided alternatives do not meet the needs of many prisoners.
Key concern 11
12 The Board has received a number of complaints this year from the prisoners in Bollinwood regarding their lack of contact with staff and use of the facilities inside the prison. They have expressed concern about the lack of ROTL and access to the services in the community. In effect they see few incentives and do not feel that the unit provides opportunities to progress towards release.
Key concern 12
Healthcare has not been able to consistently provide a timely, safe process for administering medicine, partly due to inadequate accommodation for the pharmacy service.
Key concern 13
14 The incentives scheme in the prison has been subject to a number of reviews over the year and as yet there appears to be no consistent interpretation and application of how the scheme operates. The Board is therefore unable to monitor the progress of any changes and their impact on the prisoners, especially those prisoners with enhanced status.
Safety statistics
Incidents during the reporting year.
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 0 | not recorded |
| Use of force | 318 | not recorded |
Population
| Population | 373 |
| Operational capacity | 486 |
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Catering | 11 | 18 |
| Chaplaincy | 0 | 1 |
| Discrimination | 2 | 1 |
| Education/Library | 7 | 7 |
| Finance | 10 | 18 |
| Healthcare | 48 | 45 |
| IMB Concerns | 4 | 12 |
| Legal | 4 | 3 |
| Other | 25 | 16 |
| Property | 18 | 30 |
| Reception/Release | 11 | 21 |
| Regime | 20 | 30 |
| Segregation/CSU | 1 | 3 |
| Staff/Prisoner concerns including bullying | 18 | 15 |
| Total | 203 | 206 |
| Visits | 4 | 6 |
Report details
- Establishment
- Styal
- Type
- Prison, category female, local, YOI
- Report year
- 2022
- Published
- 23 August 2022
- Responsible body
- HMP Styal
- Recommendations
- 7
- MoJ rating (2025/26)
- 3, Good
Service providers
| Service | Provider |
|---|---|
| Commissioned Rehabilitative Services | PSS (Women's turnaround) |
| Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation | Spectrum Community Health |
| Education | Novus |
| Family Services | Phoenix Futures |
| Mental Health Care | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust (GMMH) |
| Mother and Baby Unit (until March 2022) | Family Action |
| Nursery (from April 2022) | Action for Children |
| Primary Healthcare | Spectrum Community Health |
| Prison Works and Escort Services | GEOAmey |
| Social Care | Spectrum Community Health |
| Workshop/Employment | Recycling Lives |