Prison
Cat Female, Local, YOI, Open
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Styal
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 15 September 2023
HMP/YOI Styal faced significant challenges during the reporting year, primarily due to staffing shortages that compromised safety, regime consistency, and access to essential services. The prison recorded high rates of assaults and self-harm, often linked to an unpredictable daily routine. Despite these issues, the Board noted positive staff-prisoner relationships, improvements in induction and MBU facilities, and Styal's leading performance in employment outcomes for women on release.
Positive Findings
The Board observed strong leadership, effective data analysis, and a high level of care towards prisoners, particularly within the Valentina unit and Mother and Baby Unit (MBU). Significant improvements were made to the Induction Unit and MBU, with the new gatehouse enhancing security. Catering consistently provided varied menus, and the use of prisoner laptops improved independence. Styal achieved the highest number of employment outcomes numerically across the women's estate and the Departure Lounge significantly improved the release process.
Key Concerns
Safety
Safety has been compromised throughout the year by staffing shortages, the inexperience of some new recruits and the inconsistency of the regime.
Safety
In both prisoner on prisoner assaults, and prisoner on staff assaults, Styal has the highest rates in the female estate.
Safety
The prison recorded the third highest level of self-harm in the women’s estate, with much of this increase attributed to the lack of a predictable regime.
Mental Health
Repeated
The prison continues to receive individuals with severe mental health problems and complex needs, for whom there is a pressing national need for more specialist facilities that can be easily accessed.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The quality of accommodation in the houses remains a key concern for the Board, with ongoing maintenance issues and a lack of decency, particularly regarding the low ratio of toilets and bathrooms to occupants.
Healthcare
Repeated
The inability to consistently provide safe and timely administration of medicine remains a concern, compounded by inadequate pharmacy accommodation and shortages of both prison and healthcare staff.
Staffing
Repeated
Reduced staffing levels have had a significant impact on operational activities, affecting safety, mental health, and the delivery of key work, with the staffing budget appearing insufficient.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
The Library service did not consistently meet minimum statutory access requirements for all prisoners, and access to other activities (education and employment) was negatively affected by lack of staffing and regime restrictions.
Resettlement/Release
Vacancies in the pre-release team and Community Rehabilitative Services providers are significantly restricting services to prisoners being released, exacerbated by a lack of funding for basic provisions like mobile phones and credit.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
There is a reduced number of programmes to support prisoners to understand and modify their behaviour, due to a lack of qualified staff.
Equality/Diversity
Repeated
Access to suitable prison issue clothing for female prisoners remains a key concern, with the planned introduction of female specific clothing not yet fully implemented.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing shortages, new recruits' inexperience, and an ineffective 20% staffing budget compromised safety and regime consistency. These pressures led to key work schemes not functioning as planned, and impacted access to healthcare appointments, especially external escorts. Vacancies in the Offender Management Unit and pre-release teams further restricted services to prisoners.
Healthcare
The consistent and timely administration of medicine remains a concern, exacerbated by inadequate pharmacy accommodation and shortages of both prison and healthcare staff. This significantly affected prisoners' access to health services and contributed to unacceptable waiting times for appointments across various services. Despite these challenges, mental health provision is considered comparable to, or better than, community services, and the peri-natal team provides excellent care for pregnant women and mothers.
Regime & Daily Life
The inconsistency of the regime, stemming from staffing shortages, negatively impacted safety, with high rates of assaults and self-harm attributed to the lack of a predictable daily routine. Access to purposeful activities, education, and fresh air was frequently disrupted. While there was a significant improvement in regime consistency by early 2023, challenges such as library access and the availability of behaviour-modifying programmes persist.
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 | 21 | 14 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 3 | 3 | — |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 5 | 7 | |
| Equality | 5 | 4 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 7 | 10 | |
| Food and kitchens | 2 | 11 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 40 | 48 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 10 | 16 | |
| Miscellaneous | 6 | 19 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 2 | 1 | |
| Property within the establishment | 18 | 21 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 5 | 8 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 9 | 20 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 14 | 18 | |
| Total number of applications | 140 | 203 | |
| Transfers | 4 | 3 |
Recommendations (16)
Ministry of Justice: 2
HMPPS: 9
Governor / Director: 5
9 repeated
Recommendation 1
What financial support can be given for pre-release planning for remand prisoners? Currently in Styal, basic services are provided but there is no funding for these, nor is there funding for the level of service available to sentenced prisoners.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The prison continues to be challenged by the need to manage many prisoners with severe and enduring mental health problems and complex needs. Nationally, there is still a pressing need for more specialist facilities that can be easily accessed, particularly psychiatric units. When will the findings made by the National Women’s Prisons Health and Social Care Review be available?
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Recommendation 3
What are the long-term strategies for prisoner categorisation for the planned new Open facilities at Styal and the impact of national population management processes?
HMPPS
Progression
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Accommodation remains a key issue in the prison, with particular regard to decency, disability and dignity, given the limited access to bathrooms and toilets, and the ongoing maintenance issues in the 17 residential houses. What consideration has been given to the option of competitive tendering for large scale maintenance and refurbishment projects to enable a more timely solution to these concerns?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board continues to have concerns around the safe and timely administration and dispensing of medication. What will be done to address the inadequate accommodation for the pharmacy service including the way in which medicines, including methadone, are transported?
HMPPS
Healthcare
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Reduced staffing levels have had a significant impact on the operational activities in the prison, impacting on safety and mental health. The prison staffing budget, with an ineffective rate of 20%, appears insufficient to cover all duties. Will there be any review of staffing budgets in the coming year?
HMPPS
Staffing
Recommendation 7
What further support can be provided so that the important activity of key work is delivered consistently and to a high standard for all prisoners, even with the current staffing levels?
HMPPS
Regime
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Staff shortages have impacted on women’s access to healthcare and hospital visits, especially the need for escorts to enable access to internal and external appointments. This is particularly critical given the different demands in the female estate for gynaecological services, paediatric care, and pre-and post-natal treatment. What additional support can be provided to female prisons to help them meet this demand?
HMPPS
Healthcare
Recommendation 9
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Access to suitable prison issue clothing for female prisoners remains a key concern for the board. Whilst the Board welcomed the planned introduction of female specific clothing in January 2023 this has not yet been fully implemented. When will this be rolled out to all female prisons?
HMPPS
Equality
Recommendation 10
The Board has noticed a growing issue for prisoners with regard to the cost of living, and the reduction of available items for purchase through the canteen system. Prices of essential goods have risen in line with those in the community, yet there has not been a corresponding increase in wages and allowances within the prison. Will there be any additional budgetary support so that the prison can increase wages in line with inflationary pressures?
HMPPS
Other
Recommendation 11
What steps are being taken to ensure that vacancies in the pre-release team, which are significantly restricting the service to prisoners being released, are filled as a priority?
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 12
Repeated
What actions are being taken to increase numbers of work releases on temporary licence (ROTLs) for prisoners at Styal, in the short term, and in terms of planning for the future expansion of 50 open spaces in 2024?
Governor / Director
Progression
Recommendation 13
How is the prison addressing the reduced number of programmes which support prisoners to understand and modify their behaviour?
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 14
What plans are in place to increase the availability of high-quality key work sessions for eligible prisoners?
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 15
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
What provision is in place to improve library access to ensure minimum mandatory requirements?
Governor / Director
Education
Recommendation 16
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The timely administration of medicines and the inadequate dispensing facilities remain a significant concern – how will this be addressed in the future?
Governor / Director
Healthcare
Other IMB Reports for Styal
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.