Recommendation 1
The Board would ask the Minister to take action in connection with dental services at HMP Holme House.
Source · IMB Annual Report
Holme House
AI-generated report summary HMP Holme House experienced a year dominated by Covid-19 restrictions, yet saw notable improvements in overall ambiance, cleanliness, and reduced violence. While healthcare services generally improved and key worker compliance increased, significant concerns persist regarding unacceptable dental waiting times, inadequate education provision, and unscreened toilets in cells. The Board highlights issues with property transport and the lack of clarity surrounding external service provider contracts, calling for action from the Minister, Prison Service, and Governor.
Year: 2021
Published: 9 Jun 2022
Type: Prison · Cat C
Population: 1,200
Recommendations: 7
Key concerns
Positive findings
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 5 | — |
| ACCT cases opened | 527 | — |
| Prisoner assaults | 126 | 57 |
| Assaults on staff | 39 | 14 |
| Use of force | 33 | 31 |
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryThe prison leadership team worked hard to ensure a reasonable quality of life during Covid-19 restrictions, with timely communication and expedient reinstatement of lockdown benefits. The overall culture, ambiance, and cleanliness within the prison have considerably improved, with positive artwork and a pleasant environment. Healthcare services significantly improved, including reduced GP waiting lists, and Holme House was the top-performing prison in the region for Covid-19 vaccinations. The downward trend in violence continued, with levels below comparator prisons, and the Offender Management Unit operated effectively, alongside a successful computer coding programme.
Key concerns
The continued unsatisfactory level of unscreened toilets in cells, many of which are shared, remains non-compliant with the national standard for the physical cleanliness and physical decency of prisons.
Dental services remain unacceptable, with a waiting time for regular appointments of one year and 40 weeks, a significant worsening since 2019.
Source wording under review
Education and training require improvement, with services not as good as they were three to four years ago, and issues regarding access to distance learning and Open University programmes.
We would also like to comment on the cumbersome content and lack of clarity around some contracts with external service providers. The Board must monitor against standards and understanding the content of contracts is critical to this. We do not have access to those contracts and seemingly the prison does not.
The constraints about property transport are unclear and can cause distress to prisoners. This links to the issues regarding contracts detailed above where there is not clarity about what is expected. Too many prisoners arrive at Holme House not really understanding where their property is and when they will get it. Prisoners leaving the prison to move to other prisons, particularly out of the region, sometimes have considerable delays.
Some areas of education could not progress because of essential repairs not being carried out, including ventilation to the bistro and ceilings to the toilets in the engagement centre.
Responses to healthcare complaints did not meet their longer response timescales over several months and should be comparable.
Recommendations
Recommendation 2
The Board is concerned that the Prison Service has not acted expediently in connection with the poor dental services at the prison and recommends urgent action.
Recommendation 3
We would also like to comment on the cumbersome content and lack of clarity around some contracts with external service providers. The Board must monitor against standards and understanding the content of contracts is critical to this.
Recommendation 4
The constraints about property transport are unclear and can cause distress to prisoners. This links to the issues regarding contracts detailed above where there is not clarity about what is expected. Too many prisoners arrive at Holme House not really understanding where their property is and when they will get it. Prisoners leaving the prison to move to other prisons, particularly out of the region, sometimes have considerable delays.
Recommendation 5
There are improvements to be made in certain areas, such as dental care and education.
Recommendation 6
The Board recommends that the Governor ensure clarity on agreed standards, particularly where contract details are not available, to facilitate the Board's monitoring.
Recommendation 7
We would like to see the leadership team in the prison take an increased interest in healthcare complaints in a similar way to prison complaints. Responses to healthcare complaints did not meet their longer response timescales over several months and should be comparable.
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 9 | 10 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 7 | 4 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions | 0 | 5 |
| Equality | 7 | 5 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 4 | 11 |
| Food and kitchens | 2 | 4 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 46 | 46 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 18 | 24 |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 1 | 0 |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 13 | 26 |
| Property within this establishment | 12 | 18 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 12 | 9 |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 20 | 20 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 31 | 6 |
| Transfers | 7 | 28 |
Related inspections & investigations
Other reports for Holme House
· Self-harm 807
· Concerns
Population 1,133
· Self-harm 928
· Concerns
Population 1,100
· Self-harm 600
· Concerns
Population 1,175
· Concerns
Population 1,200
· Self-harm 728
· Concerns