Prison
Cat Category C, YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Hindley
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 5 July 2024
HMP/YOI Hindley, a Category C training and resettlement prison for adult males and young adults, operated near its 600 operational capacity during the reporting period. The Board noted positive developments in leadership presence, communication, and some healthcare provision, which was rated good by HMIP. However, significant concerns persist, particularly regarding escalating violence, high self-harm rates (up 87%), and widespread drug availability. Persistent staff shortages lead to redeployment, impacting purposeful activity, key worker sessions, and overall regime delivery. The Board also highlights issues with outdated accommodation, delays in adjudications, and the need for improved support for complex mental health needs and disabled prisoners.
Positive Findings
The Board commends the increased visual presence and improved communication from leadership, a greater focus on data, and a new leadership for training and work showing early positive progress. A refreshed prisoner consultation strategy, while in early stages, shows potential for meaningful engagement. The health and wellbeing needs of prisoners are generally met, with satisfactory healthcare services and high standards for wellbeing activities provided by the gym, physical fitness team, chaplaincy, and POPs. Efforts to ensure 93% of prisoners have accommodation on release are acknowledged. Improvements in staff coaching and development, and regime changes that increased time out of cell, are noted. The appointment of a new Head of Education, Skills and Work has led to a more consistent approach and positive impact on opportunities. The IMB also welcomes the improved BWC system, investment in new windows on two wings, and fitted privacy curtains in cells. The kitchen received a significantly improved environmental health grade (4/5) and staff are commended for their inventiveness under budget constraints. The leadership and staff in the CSU are highly praised for adeptly handling complex and vulnerable prisoners. The new head of education has fostered a more consistent approach to purposeful activity. Events supporting improved relationships, often involving sport, and the prison's support for charities are commended. The Board welcomes plans for a ‘lifer’ unit and enrichment programs. Staff EDI training is improving awareness of neurodiversity, and the prison responds positively to religious requests. The chaplaincy team is highly valued for their critical pastoral role, creating a welcoming environment with animals and supporting neurodiverse families. Complaints handling has become more efficient. Primary healthcare provision by Spectrum Healthcare is seen as positive, with good standards and strong relationships across services. HMIP found health services to be good. Mental health services are highly valued, and the pre-PIPE unit received an Enabling Environment award. The PE team is well-respected, and initiatives like Park Run and PE on prescription are positive. The Manchester City community course had a successful pilot. Finally, opportunities for gardening, animal care, peer support, and prisoner artwork enhance well-being, while the library is appreciated for providing a calm and welcoming study environment.
Key Concerns
Safety
The Board is concerned about the increase in violence, affecting both prisoners and staff at Hindley.
Substance Misuse
drugs continue to be readily available in the prison and positive drug testing for random MDTs is the highest of all adult male prisons in England and Wales.
Safety
Rates of self-harm continue to be a concern to the Board with HMPPS data indicating that self-harm incidences at Hindley are higher than many other similar prisons. There has been an 87% increase over this reporting period.
Overcrowding
The national problem of overcrowding in prisons, is impacting on HMP/YOI Hindley, who are continuously operating at near or full capacity. This situation offers little operational respite on a day-to-day basis, with diminishing opportunities to implement strategic imperatives.
Staffing
rising staff sickness/absence levels and frequent staff turnover (over 60% of new recruits leave the service within their first year).
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
there have been insufficient activity places to enable all men at HMP/YOI Hindley to have purposeful activities which support progress towards positive rehabilitation. The deficit has been maintained at an average of 100 places throughout the year.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Access to the Thinking Skills Programme (TSP) is limited, and available resources allocated to the prison for this purpose do not meet demand.
Resettlement/Release
the plethora of national initiatives regarding re-categorisation and release have caused, and continue to cause, frustration and misunderstanding amongst the prison population... This situation is not helped by prisoners often not being able to access all the courses indicated on their sentence plans.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The current two-tier standard of accommodation, once new work commences, will effectively establish a three-tier standard of accommodation and this could provoke upset and exacerbate complaints from prisoners housed in older, more run-down parts of the prison.
Staffing
The Board is concerned about occasions when there is a necessary change of regime and/or staffing shortages, that specialist activity is often the first casualty. For example, key work sessions or specialist activity personnel are often redeployed onto general operational duties.
Other
Repeated
The Board continues to be concerned about this issue [delays in holding Inquests] and the negative impact on both families and prison staff.
Equality/Diversity
There remains a lack of meaningful data on disabilities of prisoners and staff. 47% of prisoners involved in use of force incidents are thought to have had some sort of disability. Unfortunately, many of this group are prisoners with learning difficulties whose needs are not formally identified or assessed fully, and therefore their presenting needs are potentially going unmet.
Estate/Conditions
The physical facilities for disabled persons are very poor throughout the estate. This is largely due to the age of the estate.
Other
Adjudications are held regularly, but at times cases have been insufficiently prepared. This has led to 16% of cases being adjourned and long delays between hearings. As a result, cases have collapsed as being ‘timed out’.
Complaints/Property
This continues to be a key issue for prisoners, although 2023 mirrors the improvement seen in 2022, with regard to applications received by the IMB in respect of property issues.
Healthcare
Staff shortages on occasions have resulted in the non-availability of some prescribed drugs at weekends which was highlighted by the IMB.
Mental Health
some men who are on constant watch, particularly in CSU, present with multiple, complex mental health issues... it raises the question of whether men suffering from such complex mental health conditions are best placed in CSU and would they fare better in a health specific environment better suited to their needs.
Healthcare
There were two occasions when HMP/YOI Hindley was not informed of the prisoner’s medical condition on arrival and the consequences of this were raised on two separate occasions (April and September). HMP/ YOI Hindley are looking to improve the process.
Mental Health
Repeated
lack of meaningful activity that is putting additional pressure on the mental health of prisoners.
Healthcare
Healthcare staff raised concerns with the Board about expected mandatory attendance at every ACCT review... This means that nurses often have to leave operational tasks to cover attendance at the meetings, which can disrupt health service provision.
Board Commentary
Staffing
HMP/YOI Hindley faces significant staffing challenges including rising sickness/absence levels and a high turnover, with over 60% of new recruits leaving within their first year. These shortages often lead to the redeployment of specialist staff, such as the violence reduction coordinator or key workers, to cover operational duties, resulting in cancelled specialist activities and key work sessions. While there has been an effort to enhance staff coaching and development, the lack of consistent key work is negatively impacting prisoner-staff relationships and the overall regime, including mental health services.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision at Hindley saw a positive shift with primary care transferring to Spectrum Healthcare and psychosocial services to Change Grow Live, with both generally regarded as satisfactory. Mental health services continue via Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and are highly valued. The Healthcare Centre is well-equipped, and HMIP rated overall health services as good. However, staff shortages occasionally led to unavailability of prescribed drugs at weekends. Waiting times are around one week for a GP appointment and 2-3 weeks for a dental appointment. Concerns exist regarding missed appointments due to distribution issues and whether prisoners with complex mental health needs are appropriately placed in the CSU. The lack of meaningful activity is also cited as putting additional pressure on prisoners' mental health.
Regime & Daily Life
HMP/YOI Hindley continues to struggle with providing sufficient purposeful activity, maintaining a deficit of around 100 places for its near 600-strong population. This is exacerbated by staff shortages leading to cancelled half-day sessions and prisoner non-attendance. Specialist activities, including key work, are often the first to be curtailed due to operational demands. While regime changes have improved time out of cell and a new Head of Education, Skills and Work shows early benefits, the persistent lack of key work and meaningful activity remains a concern, impacting prisoner relationships and mental health.
Applications to the IMB
Prisoners can apply to their IMB about any aspect of their treatment. This table shows application counts by category.
| Category | Current | Previous | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (including transfers) | 17 | 24 | |
| Adjudications | 11 | 10 | |
| Bullying / Anti-social behaviour | 6 | 10 | |
| Children and family issues | 1 | 1 | — |
| Discrimination / Race Relations / Anti-social behaviour | 6 | 6 | — |
| Drugs & Alcohol | 2 | 0 | |
| Education & Training | 10 | 13 | |
| Employment & Wages | 5 | 1 | |
| Equality & Diversity | 4 | 0 | |
| Ethical and Religious matters | 2 | 5 | |
| Exercise / Leisure / Recreation | 1 | 1 | — |
| Finance / Benefits / Savings | 3 | 3 | — |
| Food | 11 | 11 | — |
| Healthcare / Medical | 23 | 23 | — |
| Mental Health | 11 | 12 | |
| Offender Management / Case Work | 16 | 11 | |
| Ombudsman (PPO) | 0 | 0 | |
| Personal safety & Security | 10 | 12 | |
| Property & Cash | 17 | 24 | |
| Regime & Daily Routine | 17 | 24 | |
| Segregation Unit | 13 | 13 | — |
| Staff Conduct | 10 | 10 | — |
| Substance Misuse | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 218 | 224 | |
| Visits | 7 | 4 | |
| Welfare | 1 | 1 | — |
| Work / Training / Skills | 10 | 13 |
Recommendations (3)
Other: 1
HMPPS: 1
Governor / Director: 1
1 repeated
Recommendation 1
The plethora of national initiatives regarding re-categorisation and release have caused, and continue to cause, frustration and misunderstanding amongst the prison population. This leads to upset and, at times, anger, when the men are unable to progress to the categorisation status, they think they meet the criteria for. This situation is not helped by prisoners often not being able to access all the courses indicated on their sentence plans.
Other
(minister)
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The prison continues to progress plans for significant expansion and on-site work is imminent. Current national financial constraints mean that there is no available funding to upgrade or improve the existing older, cramped accommodation to an acceptable level. The Board are concerned that the current two-tier standard of accommodation, once new work commences, will effectively establish a three-tier standard of accommodation and this could provoke upset and exacerbate complaints from prisoners housed in older, more run-down parts of the prison. The Board feel this is a missed opportunity, to improve the overall prison estate during significant capital programme work.
HMPPS
Estate
Response
The (capital) project team work closely with MOJ Property to maximise benefits to the prison expansion programme. There is currently insufficient funding to replace older accommodation and due to current national population pressures, the current spaces need to remain available. A long-term strategy is being developed.
Recommendation 3
The Board is concerned about occasions when there is a necessary change of regime and/or staffing shortages, that specialist activity is often the first casualty. For example, key work sessions or specialist activity personnel are often redeployed onto general operational duties. Under such circumstances the reducing violence coordinator is often moved to operations and any scheduled key worker sessions are abandoned. It is hoped the coming year will provide the opportunity to safeguard and ring fence this vital strategic engagement work.
Governor / Director
Regime
Other IMB Reports for Hindley
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.