Source · IMB Annual Report
North West and Midlands STHF
AI-generated report summary This report covers the North West and Midlands Short-Term Holding Facility network for the year ending January 2026. The Board highlights commendable staff professionalism and decreases in overall and minor detentions. Key concerns include insufficient IMB staffing, a lack of hot food at East Midlands Airport, security and dignity issues at Holyhead Port, and widespread problems with detainees accessing their own medication.
Year: 2026
Published: 28 Aug 2026
Type: Prison · Cat IRC
Recommendations: 4
Key concerns
Positive findings
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryThe Board commends staff for their commitment, professionalism, and compassionate handling of detainees, including during inductions and incidents. Positive improvements include the installation of purpose-built baby change units at Dallas Court, improved privacy screens at East Midlands Airport's CWA, and timely complaint handling. The Board also acknowledges excellent engagement from Care and Custody and HOIE staff in addressing issues. There was a notable decrease in overall detentions and minor detentions across all ports.
Key concerns
The number of Board members has increased since our previous report but not in sufficient numbers, causing difficulties for existing Board members in completing monitoring obligations.
Detainees at East Midlands Airport continue to have no access to hot food.
Source wording under review
Lack of a fitted and operational CCTV system at East Midlands Airport, an issue ongoing for over four years, posing a security risk to detainees and staff.
Source wording under review
Absence of a secure vehicle bay at Holyhead Port for detainee transfers, compromising their safety and dignity, and staff safety.
Source wording under review
Ligature risks posed by straps on baby change mats across the estate, with some straps removed creating a fall risk and others remaining, despite installation of improved units at Dallas Court.
Source wording under review
East Midlands Airport facility requires upgrading to current safety and security standards.
Source wording under review
Holyhead Port lacks a secure vehicle area and its main gate is only metres from the dock edge, protected by a low rail, posing severe safety risks.
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Attempted escape incident through ceiling tiles at Manchester Airport.
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Detainees at East Midlands Airport may be held in the Controlled Waiting Area (CWA), compromising dignity and privacy, when staffing levels prevent admission to the holding room.
Source wording under review
Increased detentions and regular late-night holding at Sandford House result in detainees potentially missing hot meals upon arrival at IRCs.
Source wording under review
A nine-week outage of the female toilet light at Sandford House forced females to share a toilet with males, leading to a lack of privacy and dignity.
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Slow rectification of structural and equipment deficiencies across facilities, exemplified by consistently low temperatures (13°C) in the Birmingham Airport family room.
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Detained individuals are generally denied access to their own medication in holding rooms.
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Inadequate medical provision across most facilities, relying on unsatisfactory NHS services (111, 999, crisis teams, A&E) rather than dedicated medical professionals.
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Detainee arrivals and departures at Holyhead Port occur in full public view, compromising their dignity.
Source wording under review
Recommendations
For the eighth year in succession, the Board repeats its concern at the lack of proper procedures that would allow the Home Office or its contractors to routinely provide detained individuals with access to their own medication. The Board considers the welfare of some of those who have been detained may have been adversely affected by this situation, depending on individual medical conditions. We were informed that the provision of this service was going out to tender in 2026, can the Minister please update with progress?
Recommendation 2
Hot food is not available for those detained at East Midlands Airport. The Board would recommend that this decision is reconsidered.
Recommendation 3
The Board recommends that the facility at East Midlands Airport be upgraded to the current safety and security standards used in new facilities.
Recommendation 4
The Board is concerned at the practice of leaving detained people in the CWA, and recommends that they should always be afforded the dignity, privacy and relative comfort of being moved into the holding room where there are toilets and other facilities to help them rest.
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