Heathrow immigration removal centre

As note in our previous report, the Home Office has a duty of care for those with mental health problems and needs to ensure they are safe in the community they are released into. Robust support is required for detained people with mental health people who are released on bail.

The Board continues to be seriously concerned about the application of Detention Centre Rule 35, which is intended to ensure that particularly vulnerable people in detention are identified and brought to the attention of those responsible for reviewing and authorising continued detention. There is an issue surrounding adherence to Home Office deadlines for responding to Rule 35 reports. After accepting receipt, responses to Rule 35 reports should be provided by the Home Office within two working days, and the response must be copied to the detained person’s legal representative. We recommend strengthening national oversight of Rule 35 processes to ensure that all reports, particularly those concerning torture, suicidal ideation and serious health vulnerabilities, are reviewed promptly and consistently across the estate. Commission an independent evaluation of the Rule 35 framework to assess whether current thresholds, timescales, and decision‑making processes adequately protect vulnerable individuals from prolonged or inappropriate detention. Ensure that Rule 35 outcomes are transparently monitored at a national level, with regular publication of performance data to support accountability and continuous improvement.

From its observations, the Board still believes that Rules 40 (removal from association) and 42 (temporary confinement) are being misused. There were several instances in 2024 when Rules 40 and 42 have been used for prolonged situations. It is imperative that these rules are used for the shortest possible time and as a last resort. They should not be used to hold mentally ill detained people or those who refuse to share a room. There have been instances where detained individuals have been shuttled back and forth between the care suite and the CSU to keep number of consecutive days in the CSU low. The CSU is not the solution to these problems. In the Board’s view, an alternative mental health pathway needs to be established to care for people experiencing mental health difficulties in detention. The IMB has observed that prolonged detention in the CSU tends to heighten anxiety and exacerbate existing mental health conditions, many of which are linked to prior trauma. We recommend commissioning a national review of the use of Rule 40 (temporary confinement) and Rule 42 (removal from association) to ensure that these measures are not used inappropriately for individuals whose behaviour is primarily driven by mental‑health needs rather than disciplinary concerns. Also, there should be an improvement in communication with healthcare teams to ensure that vulnerabilities identified during Rule 35 processes or clinical assessments are reflected in decisions about segregation and association.

More work is required to consider different ways of supporting those with mental health needs. The Board believes there should be an increase in external mental health beds for people in detention who are showing deteriorating mental health. A clear mental health pathway should be made available, with greater collaboration with the NHS to provide the necessary services. There is also a need to improve communication between the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice and HMPPS to secure additional resources and funding in prisons, enabling a seamless process prior to TSFNOs being transferred to detention. Detained people should not be waiting for long periods in the detention centre to be returned to their home countries, either voluntarily or under removal directions. The IRC should be for short stays. The detention centre is not an appropriate environment for those with significant mental health issues. We recommend increased investment in bail accommodation pathways, for TSFNO to reduce excessive waits for suitable placements.

Funding should be in place to increase security at the IRC to prevent the increasing levels of throw-overs on the Colnbrook site and the reduction of contraband and illicit goods getting into the Heathrow estate. In addition, search technology should be improved to ensure that illicit substances are prevented from entering the Heathrow estate.

There should be a review of the high number of unsubstantiated complaints both from the contractor and the Home Office, to assess whether investigative processes meet required standards of transparency. Improve communication with detained individuals regarding complaint outcomes, making sure that responses are clear, timely and accessible, including translated versions where required. Detained individuals should be made aware as to how their complaints are handled and how to escalate their complaint, especially complaints relating to property.

The Board continues to be very concerned about the deterioration in the mental health of many detained people, with too many detained people are resorting to self-harm. It is imperative that appropriate support, care and mental health services are promptly provided to individuals grappling with mental health issues. In addition to improvements in healthcare provision, we believe many of these issues could be reduced through better engagement between the Home Office DET team and detained people, provided they receive stronger support from remotely based caseworkers. In our view, the DET team often acts simply as the messenger in the process, which can understandably lead to frustration for all involved.

There are many people detained at Heathrow IRC who have been identified as adults at risk (AAR) Level 3 and who have been in the detention centre for more than 80 days. These individuals should be released from HW IRC as soon possible.

We still believe that people with severe mental health problems should not be detained in the CSU for extended periods of time. Detained individuals with severe mental health issues should be treated in a mental health setting external to the Heathrow detention centre.

The increased number of TSFNOs detained at Heathrow IRCs has led to a change in the demographic’s population, as noted in our previous report. This continues to lead to increasing levels of assaults, verbal abuse and racial abuse from detained people. In the Board’s view, it is important that a violence reduction strategy is put in place to help protect everyone in the detention centre.

In the Board’s view, the Home Office should improve the timescales for those who wish to return to their home country voluntarily. Delays to voluntary returns can exacerbate anxiety and worsen the mental health of detained people. It is important to mandate faster processing of voluntary return cases, where there are no barriers to removal exist.

We believe that the Home Office should improve communication with HMPPS to ensure that all the necessary immigration paperwork is correct and complete prior to a detained individual’s arrival in immigration detention. This will help prevent any delays for their return and reduce the amount of time spent in Heathrow IRC. TSFNOs who wish to return voluntarily to their home country have experienced many delays because the wrong paperwork has been submitted or has been lost, or there have been delays in securing travel documents (ETD) and decisions relating to further criminal charges and missed flights. In the Board’s view, TSFNOs should only be transferred to the Heathrow detention centre when there are no barriers to removal, to help ensure a swift and seamless return to home countries. Priority should be given to cases where detained individuals have no barriers to removal and are willing to return voluntarily. A monitoring system should be introduced to flag cases approaching prolonged detention periods, ensuring a timely escalation and review of the case. There should be increased investment in bail accommodation pathways for TSFNO to help reduce excessive waits for suitable placements. In addition, collaborative work with the probation and accommodation teams should be improved to reduce a 3-4 month delay in securing bail and accommodation for TSFNOs.

In the Board’s view, the Home Office should strive to strengthen communication between all teams operating within the immigration estate, including the Probation Team, DET and the courts. Improved coordination will support accurate and timely decision‑making, helping to ensure that detained people are not subject to unnecessary delays in receiving release directions, removal decisions or appropriate accommodation.

In the Board’s view, the infrastructure at the Heathrow IRC still needs crucial investment, including heating, ventilation, electrical infrastructure and IT infrastructure in Harmondsworth and Colnbrook. It is very important to improve the living conditions of detained people. We urge the Minister to fund improvement to the Heathrow IRC estate. An independent structural and systems audit of both sites should be commissioned, focusing on recurring failures in power, water, gas and communications, and a timetable for remedial works needs to be published. We recommend ensuring that future refurbishment plans include trauma‑informed design principles, improved accessibility and environments that support wellbeing, privacy and dignity. In addition, there should be an allocation of ring‑fenced funding for urgent infrastructure resilience needs, including back-up systems to prevent repeated service outages that compromise safety and humane treatment. It is important to ensure internal tracking of detained people approaching long detention periods to make sure that any escalation is timely to the Home Office.

As noted in our previous report, the IMB continues to support the broader use of the Colnbrook care suite for short-term respite, particularly for detained people with deteriorating mental health conditions. We also urge the contractor to replicate the Colnbrook care suite facility in Harmondsworth.

It is our view that improvements need to be made to the security of the Heathrow estate. We believe the contractor should work to reduce the number of throwovers and reduce the number of illicit drugs that enter Heathrow IRC. Addressing this issue should involve implementing stricter security protocol or enhancing surveillance and inspection procedures. The contractor should record the number of illicit drugs that enter the centre correctly, i.e. weighed, counted and documented. It should be made clear what happens to these illicit items when confiscated.

Ventilation systems within the Heathrow IRC still need a thorough overhaul, as some wings continue to be extremely hot or cold. There appears to be little that can be done to regulate the temperature. This has a negative impact on detained people, as these conditions can disrupt their sleep patterns.

From the Board’s observations, the food menu needs to improve, as there is limited choice and very little variety, especially of healthy, fresh options. The centres should work with the catering team to ensure detained people receive clear information about portion standards and menu planning to help reduce food anxiety and unnecessary complaints.

Food-related complaints should be monitored to identify trends and address operational issues promptly.

We recommend strengthening efforts to actively promote educational opportunities, including targeting outreach to detained people who may benefit with certified courses.

There should be a continued expansion of stress-reducing and wellbeing activities, especially for those with mental health or behavioural vulnerability.

The Board continued to find that feedback from the healthcare team to the weekly questions and concerns set out in the IMB monitoring report was often not provided in a timely manner, and we would, again, encourage this to be improved.

Wait times for Rule 35 assessments vary and, in some cases, the wait time for an assessment is more than 21 days. Again, we believe this should be improved, given the increasing number of people in detention who are considered adults at risk. In addition it is important to provide targeted mental health support for individuals detained for long periods, especially those who have been held for more than 200 days.

The number of people experiencing mental health issues is increasing at Heathrow IRC. We believe it is important that external mental health beds in the community are made available to detained people who present with a severe mental condition and cannot be safely managed within Heathrow IRC. There needs to be improved coordination to ensure timely escorts for hospital appointments and reduce cancellations that heighten the distress of those who have been detained. Communication with detained individuals should be improved so they are kept informed about the status of their medical referrals and the expected waiting times for appointments. Internal coordination should be improved to ensure escorts are available for urgent and non-urgent hospital appointments. There is also a need to improve escort planning in order to minimise missed hospital appointments.