Prison
Cat Category B, reception and resettlement prison
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Forest Bank
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 4 April 2024
HMP Forest Bank, a Category B reception and resettlement prison, reported a 13% increase in self-harm but a 5% reduction in violence and 14% reduction in use of force. The Board raised concerns about illicit items, the use of segregation for mental health cases, and low out-of-cell time. Healthcare services saw a new provider and improved access via kiosks, while purposeful activity hours remained low. Six deaths in custody were reported during the period.
Positive Findings
The prison saw levels of violence reduce by 5% and the use of force reduce by 14% compared to the previous year. The change in healthcare provider appears positive, with prisoners accessing services professionally and timely. The I-wing supports prisoners with additional needs. The Director and senior leadership are commended for actions to reduce 'throwovers' and drones. Education and vocational departments are well organised, and staff are commended on their work. The chaplaincy team continues to deliver services to a remarkably high standard and is positively involved with staff and residents' morale.
Key Concerns
Substance Misuse
Illicit items and contraband remain an issue at the prison, with more actions to be taken by the prison to address this finding.
Other
The Board continues to work with other IMBs to resolve property issues created by transfers between establishments. Missing property within the prison is also an ongoing issue, with prisoners regularly complaining to the Board that property goes missing when they are moved from their wing to the segregation unit.
Mental Health
It has been a concern to members of the Board that the segregation unit is sometimes used for long periods when a prisoner has severe mental health issues and it is not safe to house them elsewhere. This is often due to a long wait for transfers to NHS establishments, which appears to be an issue across the prison and healthcare sectors.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Meaningful out of cell time remains a concern.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
What further support can be given to assist the prison in managing the onward movement of prisoners who intentionally disrupt transfers and are not accepted on the normal transport of the receiving establishment?
Staffing
The establishment has a target of 969 key work sessions to complete each week; however, on average, only 30% are completed.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing challenges are noted, particularly due to high court traffic delaying property processing. The key worker scheme struggles, with only 30% of the target 969 weekly sessions completed, and many prisoners cannot identify their key worker or recall their last session. Teacher recruitment remains a challenge for the education department.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision transitioned to a new provider, Spectrum, in April 2023 for primary care and clinical substance misuse, with Change, Grow, Live providing non-clinical recovery. The inpatient unit has been decommissioned and is now an operational residential unit (I-wing). Access to healthcare services has improved via the kiosk for self-referral to various services, including mental health, physiotherapy, and podiatry. Long waiting times for external healthcare and dental appointments in the prison persist.
Regime & Daily Life
Average purposeful activity hours remain low at 15.89 per prisoner per week, despite a concerted effort. Meaningful out of cell time continues to be a concern for the Board, which has raised it with the Governor. The I-wing, formerly healthcare, now operates under the same regime as other residential wings.
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 laundry, clothing, ablutions | 1 | 9 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 2 | 0 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 5 | 2 | |
| Equality | 0 | 5 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 2 | 7 | |
| Food and kitchens | 3 | 6 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 21 | 57 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 13 | 16 | |
| Miscellaneous | 29 | 67 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 8 | 7 | |
| Property within the establishment | 18 | 28 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 5 | 14 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC (Home Detention Curfew), ROTL (Release on Temporary Licence), parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 6 | 1 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 10 | 19 | |
| Total number of applications | 129 | 238 | |
| Transfers | 6 | 0 |
Recommendations (3)
Ministry of Justice: 1
HMPPS: 1
Governor / Director: 1
Recommendation 1
What progress has been made to ensure prisoners in need of secure mental health facilities are transferred in a reasonable time frame?
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Recommendation 2
What further support can be given to assist the prison in managing the onward movement of prisoners who intentionally disrupt transfers and are not accepted on the normal transport of the receiving establishment?
HMPPS
Safety
Recommendation 3
Meaningful out of cell time remains a concern: what actions is the senior leadership team undertaking to address this?
Governor / Director
Regime
Other IMB Reports for Forest Bank
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
9 Dec 2024
Unannounced
Safety: 2
Respect: 3
Activity: 2
Release: 3
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.
Prevention of Future Deaths Reports
Coroner PFD reports issued to this establishment.