Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Lancaster Farms
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 11 September 2023
HMP Lancaster Farms, a category C resettlement prison, has largely provided a safe environment, though some pandemic regime restrictions were slow to lift. While primary healthcare is reasonable, mental health provision faces significant challenges due to staffing and a lack of specialist transfer capacity. Key worker contact and prisoner property management remain ongoing concerns for the Board, alongside issues of cell decency and delayed purposeful activity opportunities.
Positive Findings
The Board found that the Governor and prison staff largely succeed in providing a safe environment. They observed effective management of risks at safety intervention meetings and good collaboration between various teams. In-cell telephony was very well received. The prison offers reasonable primary healthcare and has initiatives for physical fitness, including an impressive new Crossfit programme. The chaplaincy is commended for its pastoral care and community engagement.
Key Concerns
Mental Health
The continuation of high levels of self-harm among a small handful of prisoners, many of whom have challenging and complex mental health needs yet continue to be accommodated at the establishment rather than transferred to more specialist and secure mental health facilities.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
A minority of prisoners continue to be accommodated on occasions in double cells with limited toilet screening and/or no toilet seats. Whilst it is now normal for prisoners to eat out of their cells, there are still occasions whereby, during lockdowns, prisoners are forced to eat inside their cells next to their toilets.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Some outstanding issues, such as poor ventilation in some cells and the absence of some door screens, broken equipment on some exercise yards and some overflows or poor drainage in wet weather.
Complaints/Property
The handling of complaints from prisoners. While the number of overdue complaints is relatively low, some responses to complaints are delayed (especially those related to previous prisons). Of concern also is that prisoners are sometimes not kept updated on progress.
Other
Repeated
The treatment of prisoners’ property remains an issue of concern for the Board.
Mental Health
Repeated
The overall level of staffing for mental health services and staff shortages are matters of concern for the Board. Much therapeutic work has resumed after the pandemic but there remain difficulties in finding suitable alternative specialist accommodation at other prisons for those facing serious mental health difficulties.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Offending behaviour programmes were much reduced during the pandemic. Their re-introduction did take place slowly during the reporting year but that delay led to significant obstacles for prisoners seeking progression to category D status during the year, and concerns among prisoners, shared by the Board, regarding the fairness of this.
Safety
The Board was concerned by the limited use of BWCs (body-worn cameras) for much of 2022.
Substance Misuse
One concern (August 2022) is that 24% of prisoners find it easy to obtain illicit drugs at the prison.
Food/Catering
Repeated
Incomplete servery logs that detail the temperature of the food when it arrives at the residential units.
Food/Catering
Insulated food boxes provided to enable prisoners to break fast at dusk do not retain heat for any extended period, and there is no opportunity to reheat food.
Estate/Conditions
Duck excrement on the paths and entrances to residential units remains a cause of complaint, being both unsightly and unhygienic.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The provision and replacement of damaged toilet screens, seats and lids is a particular issue in shared cells and has an impact on maintaining decency.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Price inflation hit canteen prices. However, there was no parallel percentage increase in the wages and allowances for prisoners.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The lack of in-cell occupation several times with staff and has been told that it was logistically ‘too difficult’ to provide.
Staffing
Repeated
Prisoners have no awareness of their key worker, long lists of prisoners with the same key worker, and no regular meeting with their key worker.
Staffing
HMPPS recommends a minimum of 45 minutes of key worker contact time per prisoner per week as soon as the establishment returns to a full regime. However, this does not appear to be the norm across the prison.
Equality/Diversity
Racist and homophobic language and derogatory comments have been identified as a cause for complaint. The IMB’s experience is that the DIRF process is not well understood and residents have little confidence in the investigation process or outcomes.
Equality/Diversity
The allocation of work activities, including wing cleaners and jobs on the servery, does not appear to follow a fair, open and transparent recruitment process and this is a source of complaints.
Equality/Diversity
The data on reported disabilities and those recorded on C-NOMIS needs to be clarified in order to have an accurate snapshot baseline.
Equality/Diversity
Weaknesses in recording residents with physical disabilities requiring assistance and those with reduced mobility requiring assistance from their peers who provided informal care. The prisoner carers need to be trained, supported and paid for the work they do.
Equality/Diversity
The establishment does not currently have a neurodiversity support lead but intends to recruit to this role within the next reporting year.
Equality/Diversity
Foreign national prisoners make up a small percentage of the population, amounting to three people in total (one Albanian, one Hungarian, and one Romanian). While they are few in number, the Board is concerned that a small number of prisoners who are accommodated at the prison have virtually no conversational skills in English.
Education/Purposeful Activity
The establishment also does not have any English for speakers of other languages provision in education for this group.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The long-term sickness absence and transfer of the Church of England chaplain has resulted in a gap in provision for the 15.75% (86 men) of this denomination within the establishment. The vacancy is currently being advertised.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Independent adjudications have continued to take place remotely. In our 2022/23 monitoring, we have expressed concerns about the technology and camera, which disadvantages all parties.
Complaints/Property
The percentage of overdue complaints is approximately 10%; these have been predominantly related to property and other complaints at prisons from where prisoners have been transferred. The impact on prisoners, in terms of frustration and uncertainty, is clear from our monitoring work.
Other
Repeated
A common theme is property not transferred into the establishment at the same time as the prisoner. The delay or loss of property, including documents, family photographs and other personal possessions that are difficult or impossible to replace, has caused additional anxiety and stress.
Other
Confusion over what property can be sent to a prisoner by family members causes frustration. Sometimes parcels are not accepted by the establishment or are returned to family members without the prisoner being advised that the property has been sent back.
Healthcare
The prison does not have 24-hour healthcare provision and is reliant on other establishments to accept prisoners requiring more intensive healthcare.
Mental Health
40% of prisoners (survey August 2022) state that they have been unable to access mental health services.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
On occasions the gym is underused, particularly at weekends. It has also been regrettable that staff shortages during the year have led to some gym sessions being withdrawn.
Substance Misuse
The Board is supportive of the substance misuse team, which feels that uniformed staff could learn more about its work.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Large numbers of prisoners still need help with reading.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Many prisoners for part of the year (for example, Recycling Lives and the garden) had only half-day access to these opportunities.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The Board has identified a long-running problem between sentence planning and the provision of accredited offending behaviour and specified behavioural programmes at the prison. On occasions, prisoners find themselves frustrated to find that progression has been blocked through a lack of available programmes.
Resettlement/Release
Some prisoners at the establishment have been recategorised from category D to category C. On occasion, concerns are raised by prisoners that there is insufficient information from the category D prison about the reasons for that transfer and opportunities to appeal about that decision.
Resettlement/Release
There are 10 IPP prisoners in this resettlement prison. One such prisoner, in the CSU, explained the history of adjudications which limited his parole potential. His initial sentence was two years but he had already served 14 years.
Resettlement/Release
OMU staff have run wing-based advice sessions. But during the year the Board became aware of staff and prisoners’ frustrations due to delays in reporting by external probation service staff regarding parole and home detention curfews.
Resettlement/Release
Data from August 2022 indicates that half of the prisoners awaiting resettlement receive inadequate support for welfare benefits and personal finance, and 45% receive no help in finding accommodation.
Resettlement/Release
Despite the prison’s regional focus, some prisoners have been displaced from their home area. Whilst it is anticipated that they will be moved to prisons in their home regions, there can be long delays before such transfers take place.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staff shortages earlier in the year led to reductions in out-of-cell activities. Recruitment and retention were concerns, with many new staff leaving within 12 months. An apprenticeship model and pay settlement have recently enhanced recruitment and retention. The quality and consistency of key worker contact needs further development and training, and contact time often falls short of the recommended 45 minutes per week.
Healthcare
Spectrum provides healthcare, with mental health services from Tees, Esk & Wear Valleys and dentistry by Smart Dental. Recruitment of clinical and support staff has sometimes been problematic. GP waiting times were typically up to three weeks, and routine dental waits increased to 26-30 weeks. Over 60% of prisoners have mental health problems, and while staff respond to urgent referrals quickly, 40% report being unable to access services. Difficulties persist in finding specialist mental health accommodation for those with severe mental health difficulties.
Regime & Daily Life
The prison gradually reintroduced its post-pandemic regime, but the Board questioned the speed of this, particularly impacting out-of-cell and purposeful activities. While initial restrictions reduced violence and substance misuse, they also meant prisoners spent over 20 hours a day in cells. The regime has largely returned to pre-pandemic levels, with increased low-level violent activity. Dining out of cell was reintroduced, but some prisoners still eat next to toilets in shared cells during lockdowns. Purposeful activity, education, and vocational training were impacted but improved during the year.
Recommendations (16)
Ministry of Justice: 2
HMPPS: 5
Governor / Director: 9
15 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Given concerns expressed above, to invite Department of Health colleagues to work with the minister to review the capacity of provision of mental health services and provide more secure mental health provision across the prison estate for those prisoners with severe and enduring mental illness.
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Response
Working with NHS England to develop a pathway for men with mental illness. Also development of core capabilities framework. Transfers to specialist units limited due to lack of capacity.
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Whilst many recommendations were accepted, there were some recommendations in the Justice Select Committee’s report that were rejected. Can an action plan be established urgently to reduce the number of prisoners serving imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Response
Committed to develop progression of those serving indeterminate sentences. Bespoke IPP action plan. Still ongoing.
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To fund the Prison Service for the growth and maintenance of effective staffing levels.
HMPPS
Staffing
Response
Major concern that will be addressed as pandemic ends. Loss of staffing identified in first six months of the report. New apprenticeship model and pay settlement has enhanced recruitment and retention in last six months.
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To further improve the strategies available to the prison to manage and reduce the number of incidents of self-harm, particularly among the small number of prisoners who frequently self-harm and could be assessed as demonstrating severe mental health difficulties.
HMPPS
Safety
Response
Preventative approach to safety through specialist support, developing bespoke interventions, testing new technology and key change to physical environment. There is evidence of a continuing number (albeit small) of prisoners that frequently self-harm.
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To conduct a wide-ranging review of prison staffing, to address the loss of experienced staff and of a large percentage of new staff that leave within 12 months of recruitment.
HMPPS
Staffing
Response
Develop new outreach strategy. As above.
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To ensure more focus on purposeful activities, including programmes to support sentence planning, and full-time education and training and job readiness.
HMPPS
Regime
Response
Employment opportunities are now ‘embedded at Lancaster Farms’ (Minister). Return to normal regime during first six months of the report. Delays in reintroducing programmes to support sentence planning; and in returning to full-time education and training activities.
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To reduce losses of property as it transfers across the Prison Service.
HMPPS
Other
Response
Prisoner Property Policy Framework – published summer 2022. No discernible change in number of applications regarding property transfers between prisons.
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To support growth in the amount of purposeful activity, including education, training, work and association.
Governor / Director
Regime
Response
None. As above.
Recommendation 9
Prev. addressed
To ensure that maximum opportunities are given to enable prisoners to spend time outside their cells.
Governor / Director
Regime
Response
None. Largely now in place.
Recommendation 10
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To ensure that any work in regard to toilets in double cells is speedily addressed: broken screens, lack of toilet seats, etc.
Governor / Director
Estate
Response
None. Rolling programme of repairs.
Recommendation 11
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To review and progress improvements and repairs to ventilation in residential areas and drainage outside residential areas, including exercise areas.
Governor / Director
Estate
Response
None. Still a problem in some areas. Problems of dampness identified within some buildings in 2022-23.
Recommendation 12
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To ensure the effective use of body-worn cameras by prison staff.
Governor / Director
Safety
Response
None. Raised throughout the year. New cameras introduced January 2023. Board will remain vigilant regarding use.
Recommendation 13
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To improve communication with prisoners in key areas such as the progress towards resolving or responding to complaints, availability of programmes and the reasons for re-categorisation.
Governor / Director
Complaints
Response
None. Communication remains an issue underpinning a large proportion of applications to the IMB.
Recommendation 14
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To monitor the number of Listeners. Given the turnover of existing Listeners, to ensure that there is a rolling programme of training for future Listeners.
Governor / Director
Safety
Response
None. Original programme completed. Increased number of listeners but, given Lancaster Farms is a resettlement prison, need for regular review of the programme as appropriate.
Recommendation 15
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To ensure that processes previously agreed with the Board, such as that the Board will be notified immediately following the deployment of PAVA, deaths in custody or the use of the special cell, are implemented. And that the Board receives responses to issues it raises in its weekly reports.
Governor / Director
Safety
Response
None. Patchy. Seems to depend on who is the duty governor on particular days.
Recommendation 16
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
To ensure that contact between prisoners and their key workers becomes more effective.
Governor / Director
Staffing
Response
None. Still a major concern to the Board.
Other IMB Reports for Lancaster Farms
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.