North East Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber STHF

We repeat our recommendation that the policy be immediately revised to allow staff in STHFs to permit the person detained to take a required dose at intervals as per the prescription or pharmaceutical product recommendations. We judge that permitting single doses is important for preventing any risk of health deterioration and for being fair and humane, while minimising any adverse risk.

In the light of the problems getting responses from the Home Office identified earlier in this report (see above section), we recommend that the protocol between the IMB and the Home Office is revised to incorporate a fixed procedure and timescale for responses to concerns the IMB escalates to the Home Office.

The IMB should be given its own direct, independent access to electronic records. It is not adequate for IMB access to records to be dependent on Border Force or other facility staff gathering and curating print-outs of records. Such a system is inefficient, it hinders the IMB’s ability to get a full picture of cases and, in a worst case scenario, it could enable a cover-up by rogue actors wishing to keep things hidden from IMB view.

We have yet to hear of any progress or outcome from the review and recommend that the Home Office provides the IMB with a clear timeline and process for consulting with the IMB on the content and outcome of the review.

We recommend that the matter is investigated urgently by the Home Office. We also request that the IMB be given reasons as to why our concerns have not been responded to.

We call upon the Home Office and the IMB staff team to cooperate in obtaining an independent legal opinion on the records and data that the IMB needs to have unfettered access to in order to fulfil its statutory duties.

We request an audit of the use of handcuffs or other restraints for escorts to vans at Sheffield Vulcan House for the period covered by this report so that Care & Custody and the Home Office can review the impact of the issue and consider whether this practice is necessary or if other solutions can be implemented. We also request that any such audit is shared with the IMB.

We consider that this facility, comprising a windowless room with no natural light or ventilation, is not fit for purpose in the summer months and recommend it not be used for detention in that time of the year.

We recommend an audit is conducted by independent assessors to check compliance with the disability access requirements that were current at the time of construction and that any non-compliance is remedied as quickly as possible. In the case of other facilities, we note Border Force’s commitment, in discussion with port operators, to examine “what can be achieved within the constraints and operational reality” of the sites (letter to IMB dated 11 December 2024). We request that a clear timetable and action plan is shared with the IMB as quickly as possible. In the case of the facility at Leeds Bradford Airport, which is currently in development as part of a new build extension of the terminal building, we request reassurance that all aspects of current disability standards will be complied with.

We recommend that a clear commitment is given to ensuring complete confidentiality for all reception interviews.

We request that Care & Custody provide the IMB with a clear timeline and process for consulting with the IMB on the content and outcome of the review.

The IMB would like to have reassurance that centre protocols are to be revised to ensure that explicit procedures are in place to enable healthcare professionals (both internal staff and external paramedics) to attend health emergency incidents as quickly as possible – including the allocation of fast escort staff to facilitate this and the use of locational tools such as ‘what3words’.

We request clarity on what remedies have been or are to be introduced to prevent this failure in the future.

In the light of delays in ambulance and paramedic attendance following an incident at Swinderby RSTHF, we recommend the use of ‘what3words’ or other precision location tools to aid navigation to places of detention and that lists of such places with the location details be readily available to paramedic crews. This is relevant not just for places such as Swinderby RSTHF but also for detention rooms on complex and sprawling sites, such as ports.