Source · IMB Annual Report
South and West Short Term Holding Facilities
Year: 2024
Published: 15 May 2024
Type: Prison · Cat IRC
Recommendations: 8
Key concerns
Positive findings
The South and West Short-Term Holding Facilities IMB, newly formed, reported significant challenges in monitoring conditions due to a lack of direct access to detainees during visits. Key concerns include prolonged detentions for minors and families in unsuitable areas, insufficient staffing affecting both detainee welfare and IMB access, and widespread poor record-keeping impacting the "chain of safety" and tracking of detention times. The Board also highlighted issues with the provision of hot food and delays in transfers by external agencies.
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 0 | — |
| Self-harm incidents | 0 | — |
| Prisoner assaults | 0 | — |
| Assaults on staff | 0 | — |
| Use of force | 0 | — |
Positive findings
The IMB found that facilities were generally sufficient for short periods, and staff treated detainees respectfully and humanely, showing care in welfare checks, safeguarding, and modern slavery cases. Ligature points were reduced at Newhaven, and religious items and property storage were well-managed. The Board noted appropriate handling of mental and physical health issues.
Key concerns
Other
The likelihood of an IMB monitoring visit in the south and west coinciding with someone being in the STHF has proven a challenge during the year. It will therefore be an ongoing issue unless the IMB can be informed at the time of a person’s detention.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
We were concerned about the length of detention of some minors, especially at Portsmouth. Delays were generally caused by waiting for social services to arrive and collect the young people.
Safety
We were very concerned that the records to which we had access did not make it clear how risk was managed during a person’s whole stay in the STHF. Additionally, it was rarely clear what information was passed on at handover between BF and other organisations... The chain of safety was not easily identifiable.
Food/Catering
Our main concern during the reporting year was the withdrawal of hot food and, at times, hot beverages and the length of time it took for this to be restored. At the end of the reporting year, it remained an ongoing concern at some sites.
Food/Catering
Out-of-date food items were not always removed promptly.
Overcrowding
The Board was concerned about the long time spent by some detained people in CWAs, especially at Bristol. BF told us that this was due to insufficient staff to oversee and monitor the holding room.
Other
One of our main concerns was the quality of record keeping across most sites. We repeatedly found incomplete and missing documents, documents not signed or without dates/times, incorrect detention times and important sections not completed well, such as risk indicators, medications, food allergies and use of old versions of a standard form, for instance.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Another concern was the time in detention being prolonged, waiting the arrival of another organisation, such as MITIE, Clearsprings and social services.
Other
There does not appear to be a coherent monitoring overview of the total time in detention, or a full record of interactions that take place, for detained people who move between places of detention, such as the STHF and police cells, for example.
Other
Unfortunately, this means that visits cannot be unannounced and there have been times when IMB access has not been possible due to BF staff shortages.
Recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Board recommends the Minister ensures that staffing levels in STHFs in the south and west are sufficient to allow for the health, safety and humane treatment of people who are detained. | Ministry of Justice | |
| 2 | The Board recommends the Minister to confer with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to ensure that minors are kept in detention for the minimum time. | Ministry of Justice | |
| 3 | The Board recommends you ensure the BF urgently reintroduces the provision of hot food for those being held in the STHFs in the south and west. | Home Office | |
| 4 | The Board recommends you ensure the BF has a high standard of record keeping? If they have not, we recommend you ensure steps are taken to address this. | Home Office | |
| 5 | The Board recommends you ensure that local arrangements are made to inform IMB when a person is detained to increase the first hand evidence of the treatment of those detained. | Home Office | |
| 6 | The Board recommends you provide IMB members at Portsmouth Ferry Port with passes to enable them to carry out unannounced visits, in accordance with Part 7 of the STHF Rules, which sets out the responsibilities of the IMB. | Governor / Director | |
| 7 | The Board recommends you ensure the BF informs the IMB promptly when someone has been detained, so they can be interviewed by a Board member. | Governor / Director | |
| 8 | The Board recommends that the NPM encourages its members to consider more co-ordination to monitor the total detention experience. | Other |
Report details
- Establishment
- South and West Short Term Holding Facilities
- Type
- Prison · Cat IRC
- Report year
- 2024
- Published
- 15 May 2024
- Recommendations
- 8
Service providers
Bail Accommodation/Transport
Clearsprings
Cleaning Services
Port Cleaners
Facility Management
Border Force
Healthcare Advice
NHS 111
Secure Transport
MITIE
Translation Services
Big Word