Prison
Cat local and resettlement prison
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Bullingdon
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 14 December 2023
HMP Bullingdon continues to grapple with chronic overcrowding and persistent staff shortages, impacting regime delivery, purposeful activity, and key worker provision. While self-harm, violence, and use of force incidents remain high, the prison has made some progress in healthcare provision and reducing outstanding OASys plans. Education and resettlement efforts are hampered by prisoner churn and staffing, but new initiatives like the Employment Hub show potential for improvement.
Positive Findings
HMP Bullingdon has seen improvements in staff awareness for neurodiverse and foreign national prisoners' needs. Healthcare services are generally good with effective leadership. There has been a significant reduction in outstanding OASys plans, and the education retention and achievement rates are strong, with the curriculum adapting to short-stay prisoners. The library offers a good service, and the new Employment Hub shows promising results in getting prisoners into employment upon release. The peer support group 'Here to Help' has received positive feedback from prisoners, and the number of Samaritans Listeners has increased.
Key Concerns
Safety
Repeated
The number of incidents of self-harm in the prison has remained high.
Safety
Repeated
The level of violence in the prison has remained high.
Safety
The number of incidents of use of force in the prison has remained high.
Substance Misuse
Repeated
The level of availability of illegal substances in the prison has remained high.
Overcrowding
Repeated
Chronic overcrowding has continued.
Estate/Conditions
The state of most of the showers in the residential wings was very poor.
Staffing
Repeated
Significant shortfall in the delivery of key working hours due to staff shortages.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Shortcomings in the strategic management of education, learning skills and work (ESW) and in identifying prisoners' starting points, resulting in limited engagement and low attendance rates.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The increasing level of churn is preventing prisoners from achieving education outcomes, eroding distance learning, and hindering progression in work and training.
Board Commentary
Staffing
HMP Bullingdon continues to face chronic staff shortages and a high proportion of inexperienced officers, impacting regime delivery, healthcare access, and purposeful activity. While resignations decreased, the prison relies on detached duty staff. Key worker hours are significantly under-delivered, and staff shortages hinder education provision and the supervision of work opportunities. The programmes department, however, is fully staffed for the first time since the pandemic.
Healthcare
Healthcare services are generally good, with effective collaboration between the Practice Plus Group for physical care and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust for mental health. However, staff shortages remain the greatest risk, with the workforce at 65% capacity, leading to missed appointments and impacting mental healthcare provision. There is concern about delays in transferring prisoners needing hospital care under the Mental Health Act and insufficient accessible cells for social care.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime at HMP Bullingdon is significantly impacted by chronic overcrowding, staff shortages, and high prisoner churn. Purposeful activity and time unlocked remain a key concern, with gym attendance at a third of pre-Covid levels despite some clubs resuming. Education and work opportunities are limited by staff vacancies, frequent class cancellations, and long waiting lists for jobs. Social visits on Mondays have also been cancelled due to staffing pressures.
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 and ablutions | 29 | 37 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 20 | 43 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 5 | 5 | — |
| Equality | 14 | 4 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 22 | 16 | |
| Food and kitchens | 24 | 21 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 129 | 110 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 80 | 87 | |
| Miscellaneous | 49 | 52 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 29 | 29 | — |
| Property within the establishment | 52 | 58 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 28 | 19 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 69 | 62 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 105 | 81 | |
| Transfers | 19 | 20 |
Recommendations (11)
Ministry of Justice: 2
HMPPS: 4
Governor / Director: 5
10 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The prison continues to be chronically overcrowded, and an increasing proportion of prisoners is on remand or serving short sentences. Could the Minister review the implications of overcrowding and of concentrating a very high proportion of short-stay prisoners in one prison?
Ministry of Justice
Overcrowding
Response
The MOJ remains committed to building 247 more places at the prison and to creating 20,000 new prison places across the estate. Building 247 more places has commenced but when completed the operational capacity of the prison is to be increased so there will be no impact on overcrowding.
Recommendation 1
The prison continues to be chronically overcrowded. Are there any steps that the Prison Service could take to reduce the operational capacity of the prison?
HMPPS
Overcrowding
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
There continues to be an increasing shortage of operational staff in the prison. What further steps can the Governor take to address this problem?
Governor / Director
Staffing
Response
All leavers are offered an exit interview to share their reasons for leaving. A People Plan has been developed which sets out how the prison will support, develop and retain staff. The shortage of staff in the prison has continued to increase.
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Continuing staff shortages and a continuing increase in the proportion of inexperienced staff remain concerns to the Board. While various initiatives have aimed to improve retention and training of staff with limited experience, are there any other measures which the Minister could take to alleviate the Board’s concerns?
Ministry of Justice
Staffing
Response
Initiatives have been launched to try to improve staff retention. Staff shortages have continued to increase.
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Churn in the prison has continued to increase. This has led to a number of issues, particularly with regard to progression and resettlement. Are there any measures which the Prison Service could take to reduce the proportion of prisoners on remand and on short sentences in the prison?
HMPPS
Resettlement
Response
The Head of Reducing Reoffending is actively engaged in finding skilled work opportunities and courses that are tailored to the needs of remand and short-term prisoners. The prison has been making great efforts to find skilled work opportunities for prisoners both in the prison and upon their release.
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
There continues to be a high proportion of officers with limited experience. What further steps can the Governor take to ensure that these officers receive further appropriate training so that they can carry out their duties effectively?
Governor / Director
Staffing
Response
A refreshed induction programme has been introduced for new staff. Further staff training has been delivered. The proportion of staff with limited experience has continued to increase.
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The proportion of inexperienced staff in the prison has continued to increase. Are there further measures which the Prison Service could take to improve training of inexperienced staff?
HMPPS
Staffing
Response
The Minister responded to the effect that initiatives have been launched to improve training of staff with limited experience. The proportion of staff with limited experience has continued to increase.
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
There continues to be a problem with the availability and use of illegal substances in the prison. What further steps can the Governor take to address this problem?
Governor / Director
Substance Misuse
Response
The prison has contracted a Substance Misuse Service. Key workers have been allocated to a drug-free spur. This spur is to obtain funding for drug-testing. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings continue to be facilitated. The level of availability of illegal substances remains high.
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The level of availability of illegal substances in the prison has remained high. Are there further measures which the Prison Service could take to reduce this level of availability?
HMPPS
Substance Misuse
Response
HMPPS has delivered various measures including airport-style gate security, body scanners. etc. Nationally the number of finds of drugs and mobile phones in prisons has decreased. The level of finds of illegal substances has remained high.
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
What plans does the Governor have to address the continuing high levels of violence in the prison?
Governor / Director
Safety
Response
No response. The level of violence in the prison remains high.
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
What plans does the Governor have to address the continuing high number of cases of self-harm in the prison?
Governor / Director
Safety
Response
No response. The number of cases of self-harm in the prison remains high.
Other IMB Reports for Bullingdon
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.