Source · IMB Annual Report
Littlehey
Year: 2024
Published: 14 Jan 2025
Type: Prison · Cat C training
Population: 1,225
Recommendations: 1
Key concerns
Positive findings
HMP Littlehey, a Category C training prison for sex offenders, generally maintained a safe and humane environment with positive developments like a new wing and in-cell phones. Despite commendations for healthcare and resettlement efforts, the IMB remains critically understaffed, hindering its monitoring capacity. Key challenges include persistent cell sharing, poor property transfer management, healthcare resource deficits, and inadequate educational provision, many of which are repeated concerns.
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 11 | — |
| Prisoner assaults | 79 | 63 |
| Assaults on staff | 19 | 17 |
| Use of force | 147 | 98 |
| Drug finds | 43 | 120 |
Positive findings
The Board generally found HMP Littlehey to be safe, secure, and humane, with commendations for end-of-life care and the mental health team. Notable improvements include the opening of the new G wing, the roll-out of in-cell phones, and excellent food provision. The prison shows strong efforts in supporting older and disabled prisoners, and has a robust PE/exercise regime. Significant progress has been made in addressing healthcare waiting times (excluding physiotherapy/podiatry), increasing mental health assessments, and improving offender behaviour programmes and resettlement planning.
Key concerns
Staffing
The Minister should note that the IMB has been operating with just three active members against an establishment of 16; and that, with such low numbers, it is increasingly difficult to meaningfully carry out the statutory requirements.
Staffing
Repeated
The Board is disappointed that, despite repeated requests for change, the IMB recruitment process continues to be inadequate and inappropriate to support the timely recruitment of candidates with the necessary qualities and skills.
Overcrowding
Repeated
There continue to be too many prisoners forced to share cells, including those initially designed for single occupancy. ... the number of prisoners being forced to share a cell continues to increase.
Other
Repeated
The Board is disappointed that the estate-wide management of prisoner property on transfer continues to be extremely poor, and that staff are not adhering to the policy guidelines for transfer of legal papers.
Complaints/Property
The Board would like to know when IT systems that have been deployed in other prisons, to better manage internal complaints, are going to be deployed in HMP Littlehey.
Complaints/Property
Repeated
The Board notes the continued high level of internal complaints at HMP Littlehey... a significant number of complaints could be avoided by better communication between staff and prisoners
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The continued inadequacy of the heating system on the Woodlands wings, which include the two wings for elderly prisoners.
Equality/Diversity
Repeated
The maintenance of wheelchairs continued to be an issue during this reporting year. The Board has highlighted this issue in numerous previous annual reports and progress in resolving the situation remains slow.
Healthcare
Repeated
The healthcare services lacked the resources to meet the needs of the population and that the governance and oversight of medicines’ management was weak. Indeed, the lack of 24-hour healthcare is often questioned by prisoners
Healthcare
Repeated
Physiotherapy services continued to operate at below optimal levels and the Board notes the upward trend in waiting times due to the reduction in physiotherapy clinics... Podiatry provision was reduced... and this has impacted waiting times
Healthcare
The Board is disappointed to see the continuing long waiting times for optician appointments.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The repair and replacement of gym equipment continues to be inadequate due to insufficient funding.
Estate/Conditions
the roof of the workshops’ building was leaking for the whole of the reporting period, without any clear plan to repair or replace it.
Education/Purposeful Activity
insufficient provision of English, maths and English for speakers of other languages to meet the need of the population.
Education/Purposeful Activity
the prison needed a reading strategy to support literacy, based on a meaningful assessment of need among the prison population.
Education/Purposeful Activity
the Lakeside library has sometimes been closed, due to inadequate staff resources.
Recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
this should be subject to continual monitoring by the Governor.
Repeated
Response
I note you have raised some local issues of concern in your report which the Governor will continue to keep you aware of as work continues. |
Governor / Director | In progress |
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 19 | 52 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 9 | 10 |
| Confidential Access | 0 | 22 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 16 | 7 |
| Equality | 1 | 9 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 9 | 6 |
| Food and kitchens | 3 | 9 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 17 | 8 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 10 | 24 |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 31 | 31 |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 37 | 22 |
| Property within this establishment | 26 | 13 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 21 | 22 |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates, recategorisation | 9 | 7 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 28 | 21 |
| Transfers | 10 | 5 |
Related inspections & investigations
4 Sep 2023
HMIP · Unannounced
Safety 4
· Respect 3
· Activity 2
· Release 3
Other reports for Littlehey
Report details
- Establishment
- Littlehey
- Type
- Prison · Cat C training
- Report year
- 2024
- Published
- 14 January 2025
- Responsible body
- HMP Littlehey
- Recommendations
- 1
- MoJ rating (2024/25)
- 3 — Good
Population
| Population | 1,225 |
| Operational capacity | 1,240 |
Service providers
Dental care
Prisoner Centred Dental Care
Diversity and Inclusion
Zahid Mubarak Trust (ZMT)
Education
People Plus
Healthcare, including mental health
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Library
Suffolk Libraries
Pharmacy
Lloyds Pharmacy
Prisoner support
Samaritans
Resettlement
Probation Service
Social care
Cambridgeshire County Council
Substance misuse programmes
Phoenix Futures Recovery & Wellbeing Team
Visitors’ centre and hall
Invisible Walls (a G4S company)