Safety
Repeated
However, the Board remains concerned about assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) documentation (used to support prisoners who are at risk of self-harm and suicide) and the poor ratio between overall and proven adjudications.
Safety
The lack of a quality assurance audit for Challenge, Support and Intervention Plans (CSIPs) has been a concern.
Mental Health
Repeated
There is still no effective Listener scheme (whereby prisoners are trained by the Samaritans to offer confidential emotional support to other prisoners) and the alternative provision has significant limitations.
Safety
Funding for an effective restorative justice post was discontinued.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Although the prison’s policies and processes are designed to be fair, there are still some areas where inadequate management results in unfairness, in the Board’s view. For example, the handling of prisoner property requires a major overhaul, and the administration of the incentives policy requires management oversight to ensure a more consistent approach.
Healthcare
Repeated
Poor administration and management of healthcare complaints and clinic bookings, long waiting times, delays and omissions in medication provision, and concerns regarding safe medication administration.
Healthcare
Repeated
Suboptimal healthcare staffing levels, including an absence of consistent senior leadership, and inconsistent coordination, attendance, and reporting of healthcare meetings.
Mental Health
Repeated
Continued delays for mental health transfers to external facilities, with too many patients transferred beyond the 28-day limit.
Resettlement/Release
Insufficient information and resources for visitors, both on the website and in the visitors’ centre, regarding visits, ID, property hand-ins, parking, and appropriate clothing.
Resettlement/Release
Lack of secure storage for visitor property, despite repeated assurances.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Serious concerns regarding the adequacy of resettlement services for prisoners, especially the probation and pre-release teams.
Other
Delayed or lack of responses from some resettlement agencies to requests for data from the Board.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The lack of probation and community support for all prisoners means that they are more likely to return to prison.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Inadequate probation support for remand prisoners, despite promised investment, and insufficient increase in resettlement resources to match the significant increase in the remand population.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Inaccurate data on BCS2s and BCS3s was being logged continuously on the pre-release team’s systems from July 2024 for 11 months, without any investigation as to its validity or the performance of the team (see 7.5).
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The processes followed by the resettlement team to support prisoners in finding accommodation on release remain inadequate, resulting in too many men leaving the prison homeless.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Lack of coordination and effective oversight of the various agencies providing resettlement services, coupled with continuing recruitment issues, prevents prisoners from getting the resettlement support they need.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Court vans regularly arriving at the prison after the lock-out time of 8.00 pm, impacting prisoner and staff welfare.
Other
In order to carry out its statutory duties, the IMB is entitled to be given data from the agencies contracted by HMPPS who carry out resettlement work. This includes the number of prisoners receiving support, achievement of targets and staffing levels. When asked for this data, some teams ignored the Board’s repeated requests, while others had to get permission from managers (causing unnecessary delays). Will HMPPS please confirm with the contracted agencies that they can (and should) provide the IMB with data on request?
Safety
Over the reporting year, the Board’s monitoring of both houseblocks, as well as the CSU and IPU, has noted broken or faulty observation panels in cell doors. This poses a potential risk, especially when the prisoners in these cells are on heightened unlock. In a final report on a death in custody at Thameside, published in May 2025, the PPO found that a broken/faulty observation panel contributed to the death of a prisoner (see 4.2.2).
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The lift in the gym remains out of use, which means that prisoners with mobility issues are unable to access the cardio room.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
This has continued during the current reporting year, although broken/faulty in-cell CMS still occur with depressing frequency. Lack of access to CMS greatly impacts prisoners’ lives, as most of the routine systems and processes in the prison rely on it, e.g, booking visits, ordering canteen and booking gym and library sessions, as well as contacting the various prison departments.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Inadequate heating and ventilation system: unfortunately, the building design means little can be done to address this.
Food/Catering
• Lack of staff supervising the serving of meals.
• Lack of appropriate clothing for servery workers.
• Food temperature probes either not being available or not being used.
• Contamination of halal food with non-halal food, due to misuse or lack of designated utensils and food trays.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The Board was saddened to hear that, over the reporting year, there were four instances where prisoners were unable to attend the funerals of a close family member, despite advance authorisations from security and subsequent arrangements made by chaplaincy. The Board understands that in all cases, there was a breakdown of communication on the day between staff who were detailed to facilitate this.