Source · IMB Annual Report
Grendon
Year: 2021
Published: 26 Apr 2022
Type: Prison · Cat B
Population: 161
Recommendations: 9
Key concerns
Positive findings
HMP Grendon demonstrated a safe environment in 2021 with improvements across several safety indicators including self-harm, assaults, and ACCTs, despite ongoing Covid-19 restrictions and fire safety works. The Board commended improvements in diversity and inclusion, healthcare access, and vaccine rollout. However, significant concerns remain regarding the persistent issues with the night sanitation system, the loss of community ethos, and the impact of fire safety project delays on therapeutic capacity. The lack of in-cell telephony and data on cell bell response times also pose ongoing challenges.
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 0 | — |
| Self-harm incidents | 38 | 47 |
| ACCT cases opened | 38 | 60 |
| Use of force | 3 | 6 |
| Drug finds | 12 | 37 |
Positive findings
Many safety indicators showed improvements, with self-harm, assaults, use of force, ACCTs, and drug/phone finds all down, and security interventions proving effective. Residents reported fair and respectful treatment. The Board noted considerable improvements in diversity and inclusion analysis. Food quality was generally good or excellent. Healthcare provided nearly full access to services, with good appointment levels and effective Covid-19 outbreak control and vaccine rollout. Therapy delivery improved with the return of group work and structured activities, and education provision made steady improvements. Family contact was maintained through video visits and increased social visits.
Key concerns
Safety
Repeated
The lack of data to support response times to cell bells remains an important shortfall in safer custody reporting, particularly when residents have spent extended periods in their cells.
Safety
Residents broke down locked shower doors during night sanitation and these have not been secured, a decision that is at odds with a coroner’s recommendation following a death in custody in 2015.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Issues with the night sanitation system are again raised by the Board, with evidence of continuing poor outcomes such as long waiting times, forced use of cell pots, and system failures, and it is not clear that the upgrade to the sanitation software will deliver better outcomes for residents than conditions described this year.
Complaints/Property
Two significant data breaches were noted, one covering 28 residents on one wing and another involving disclosure of confidential notes to another resident, indicating a need for refresher training.
Equality/Diversity
There were too many late replies to discrimination incident report forms (DIRF), with 44% of the total responded to late, which is critical to maintaining residents’ faith in the process.
Food/Catering
The Board questions how food standards can be maintained on a budget of £2.10 per day per prisoner, which has not changed for many years, especially in the face of price inflation and national supply issues.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The sense of community and collective responsibility, central to the therapeutic communities, has been lost due to Covid restrictions and will require a collective effort to rebuild, with residents lamenting the lack of 'an arena to practice'.
Estate/Conditions
Further delays to the fire safety project will reduce the prison’s capacity to deliver the very best outcomes for residents and its therapeutic work, including a 25% reduction in capacity for transforming therapy until the project is completed, causing ongoing disruption for at least two more years.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The lack of in-cell telephony at the establishment, with no date for its installation, makes it harder for residents to make telephone calls to family members who are at work during the day.
Recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Board monitored one prisoner’s journey over six months, illustrating how his needs were not being adequately met in prison, in spite of the good level of care he received at Grendon (see 4.2.5).
Response
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Board for monitoring the journey of a vulnerable prisoner through the prison estate, and I am grateful to the team at HMP Grendon for managing his ongoing care. It would not be appropriate to discuss the circumstances of this individual in this response, but I hope to reassure the Board that his needs are adequately being met. The Governor will discuss this matter with you at the next scheduled meeting. |
Ministry of Justice | In progress |
| 2 |
Further delays to the delivery of the fire safety project will reduce the prison’s capacity to deliver the very best outcomes for residents and its therapeutic work (see 5.1.1 and 7.1.5).
Response
A significant amount of effort has been taken to ensure that this project does not impact upon staff and prisoners (such as factoring in noisy work and identifying temporary workspaces for staff to vacate to rather than working with contractors in situ). As the Board will appreciate, the pandemic has played a part in this, and so has the time taken to resolve various issues with the original design which were not agreed earlier in the project. Delays arose in the project delivery by the contractor, . There are also some working time constraints placed on the contractors whilst therapeutic clinical sessions are being held, owing to this, work is therefore being carried out during evenings and lunch times. Exact working times have now been agreed between the Governor and the contractor(s). The finance has also been agreed for this project and the Health and Safety Team has put some measures in place on the wings (available for staff should it be required). |
HMPPS | In progress |
| 3 |
It is not clear that the upgrade to the sanitation software will deliver better outcomes for residents than conditions described this year (see 5.1.2).
Response
As mentioned in last year’s response, it is recognised that the electronic night sanitation system presents some challenges and is not designed to meet the current demands of HMP Grendon. The new software will be more reliable in terms of prisoners having access to the toilet facilities when required and will help staff identify who has left their cell and for how long. Due to some handling issues with the contractor, the upgrade has not yet been carried out. The Governor will keep you informed of any further developments. |
HMPPS | In progress |
| 4 |
Is there a date for Grendon to have in-cell telephony installed (see 7.5.2)?
Response
Like the Board, the Governor welcomes this investment and HMPPS recognises the importance of having this technology across the prison estate as it aids access to family ties, friends and support networks. Installing infrastructure into the prison environment is complex and can take up to 12 months to install in-cell telephony into each prison. As of April 2022, in-cell telephony has been implemented in 71% of prisons within the public closed estate. Funding is not currently available for HMP Grendon. It is hoped that central funding will be secured this financial year; HMP Grendon will be added to the scope of works when funds become available. |
HMPPS | In progress |
| 5 | Restrictions due to Covid-19 and project work notwithstanding, the Board looks forward to: rebuilding the culture and the sense of collective responsibility in the communities which has been affected across so many of the activities that Grendon was able to provide pre-pandemic (see 5.3.4, 7.1.3 and 7.1.5) | Governor / Director | |
| 6 |
Restrictions due to Covid-19 and project work notwithstanding, the Board looks forward to: continuing the good progress made this year on diversity and inclusion issues, especially when residents can be involved in the process (see 5.4.1)
Response
Likewise, although the regime was heavily restricted a significant amount of therapeutic work went ahead and the monitoring of equality and diversity has greatly improved, with a better focus on outcomes. |
Governor / Director | Implemented |
| 7 | Restrictions due to Covid-19 and project work notwithstanding, the Board looks forward to: monitoring cell bell response times (see 4.2.9) | Governor / Director | |
| 8 | Restrictions due to Covid-19 and project work notwithstanding, the Board looks forward to: the delivery of timely training for ACCTs, and control and restraint (see 4.2.4 and 4.4.2) | Governor / Director | |
| 9 | Restrictions due to Covid-19 and project work notwithstanding, the Board looks forward to: refresher training to minimise data breaches (see 5.7.5). | Governor / Director |
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 6 | 4 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 0 | 0 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives and earned privileges, sanctions | 0 | 0 |
| Equality | 1 | 0 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 1 | 0 |
| Food and kitchens | 0 | 0 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 4 | 0 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 1 | 3 |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 2 | 0 |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 0 | 0 |
| Property within this establishment | 1 | 2 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 0 | 2 |
| Sentence management, including home detention curfew, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 0 | 1 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 3 | 0 |
| Transfers | 1 | 0 |
Related inspections & investigations
2 May 2023
HMIP · Unannounced
Safety 4
· Respect 4
· Activity 2
· Release 4
Other reports for Grendon
Report details
- Establishment
- Grendon
- Type
- Prison · Cat B
- Report year
- 2021
- Published
- 26 April 2022
- Responsible body
- HMP Grendon
- Recommendations
- 9
- MoJ rating (2024/25)
- 3 — Good
Population
| Population | 161 |
| Operational capacity | 233 |
| Time out of cell | 6.5h/day |
Service providers
Audiology
Specsavers
Dental
Time for Teeth
Drug and alcohol recovery team (DART)
Inclusion
Education
Milton Keynes College (MKC)
Maintenance and facilities management
Gov Facility Services Ltd
Mental health services
Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust
Optician
Pen Optical Ltd
Podiatry and physiotherapy
Premier Therapies Ltd
Primary healthcare
Practice Plus Group