IRC
Cat IRC / RSTHF
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Gatwick IRC/RSTHF
IMB Annual Report 2022 · Published 23 August 2023
Gatwick IRC, comprising Brook House and Tinsley House, generally provided a safe environment in 2022 despite high rates of detainee distress and an increase in violence. The Board noted improvements in safeguarding governance, positive staff interactions, and expanded healthcare services. However, significant concerns remain regarding the detention of vulnerable individuals, ineffective Rule 35 processes, persistent issues with legal and accommodation support, and Home Office data provision.
Positive Findings
The IMB noted a general improvement in the governance and monitoring of safeguarding, alongside more diligent reviews in the technical management of use of force incidents. Relations between Serco staff and detained men were often positive, with officers showing genuine concern. Healthcare services saw expansion, including new BBV testing, and physical activities increased with the opening of a second gym. Additionally, the centres were better maintained than the previous year, particularly Tinsley House.
Key Concerns
Mental Health
Awareness of and sensitivity toward distress is generally reasonably good at Gatwick, but rates of distress are high. HMIP’s inspection in 2022 found that 28% of detained men said they had felt suicidal at the centre and 80% said they had felt depressed.
Safety
Violence appears to be slowly moving back toward pre-pandemic levels, with higher numbers of assaults on staff and on other detained men, and much higher numbers of fights.
Mental Health
The Detention Gatekeeper has failed to prevent the detention of a significant number of men with mental health issues.
Safety
Repeated
Rule 34 has not been used as intended as a safeguard for identifying vulnerability at the outset of detention, nor as a key step to ensuring Rule 35 reviews were done at the earliest time. Rule 35 is not being used appropriately or to its fullest extent. A positive Rule 35 assessment does not appear to lead to an “enhanced presumption against continued detention” in that 60% to 64% of men in this situation have had their detention continued.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
There continue to be sometimes substantial delays in providing or getting approval for accommodation for men who have been granted bail. It feels as if there is a lack of ownership and accountability, especially between the caseowner and probation officers. This issue has become worse through the year and continues into 2023.
Other
We continued to see issues about meaningful access to legal support: most firms conducted consultations by telephone (made worse by the poor mobile signal inside much of Brook House), some decided not to take a case but then did not notify the detained man, sometimes the lawyers did not set up an interpretor.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
There is a cohort of men who have become ‘stuck’ in detention for a long period, and this situation has become worse through the year. Around 15% of the Brook House population had been in detention for an average of 23 weeks by the end of the year.
Other
The Board has had considerable problems this year in obtaining even quite straightforward summary data from the Home Office... The Board is dismayed by the inability of the Home Office, and to a degree its contractor, to provide even simple information about the men it detains.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Nearly 40% of transfers into Brook House from other detention locations arrived at unsocial hours, between 10pm and 7am, meaning that the men did not get to a room until the small hours or even late into the morning.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing levels at Gatwick IRC were a significant concern throughout the year, with higher attrition rates impacting officer numbers on wings, leaving staff feeling stretched. Serco experienced shortages, concurrent with periods of heightened tension. Home Office Detention Engagement Team (DET) efforts were hampered by numerous vacancies, leading to a capping of centre numbers. Within healthcare, approximately 66% of mental health nursing roles were vacant, often back-filled by agency staff.
Healthcare
Practice Plus Group provides healthcare services, which saw expansion in 2022, though often relying on agency staff due to high vacancy rates, particularly in mental health nursing. There was a dramatic increase in detainee applications to the IMB concerning healthcare, with a third relating to staff attitude. While new arrivals benefited from BBV testing, significant waits for dental appointments persisted due to the absence of an on-site dental suite. The Board remained concerned about the Detention Gatekeeper's failure to prevent the detention of men with significant mental health issues.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime in 2022 began under Covid-19 restrictions, which initially limited association time to 90 minutes per wing, though this eased from March. STHF men on designated wings initially had restricted association, relying on in-wing gym equipment and 'shopping runs'. While a second gym opened in Brook House and organised physical activities increased in both centres from September, no educational courses were offered to STHF men in Tinsley House.
Recommendations (20)
Other: 2
Home Office: 12
Governor / Director: 3
NHS / Healthcare Provider: 3
8 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Introduce a time limit for immigration detention
Other
(minister)
Regime
Recommendation 2
Through Ministerial channels, press for improvements in the service provided by the Probation Service, in particular the timeliness of assessments and provision of feedback to detained men to help them offer suitable addresses (section 7.4).
Other
(minister)
Resettlement
Recommendation 3
Urgently improve data collection, management and provision so as to restart provision of information in line with the Memorandum of Understanding with the IMBs (section 3.6).
Home Office
Other
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Establish a robust, repeatable mechanism for collecting and analysing views of the detained men about their perception of safety in the Gatwick centres (sections 4, 4.3).
Home Office
Safety
Recommendation 5
Increase the Detention Gatekeeper’s threshold(s) for bringing men with mental health issues into detention and improve facilities and support to enhance the prospect of release from detention for men exhibiting deterioration of their mental health in detention (section 4.4).
Home Office
Mental Health
Recommendation 6
Strengthen the consideration given by caseowners to local knowledge (Home Office, Serco and PPG) about a detained man’s situation and condition, especially through the AAR mechanism, and review the thresholds applied to the balance between immigration factors and humanitarian considerations (section 4.4).
Home Office
Equality
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Improve the proactivity with which caseowners and local Home Office staff address the immigration cases of all detained men, and particularly those who are vulnerable, long-staying or disengaging (sections 4.4.1, 6.3, 7.2, 7.2.4).
Home Office
Resettlement
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Undertake a complete review of Adults at Risk, ACDT and Rule 35 policy and procedure (repeated from 2019, 2020 and 2021) (section 4.4.1).
Home Office
Safety
Recommendation 9
Building on the recommended review of AAR, ACDT and Rule 35, define and promulgate procedures and guidance to ensure cases of men “likely to be injuriously affected by continued detention” (Rule 35(1)) or who are suspected “of having suicidal intentions” (Rule 35(2)) are properly identified and assessed (section 4.4.2).
Home Office
Safety
Recommendation 10
Review the service offered by Big Word and consider alternatives where they will improve availability (section 5.5).
Home Office
Respect
Recommendation 11
Share the contents of complaints against the Home Office, and their responses (section 5.7).
Home Office
Complaints
Recommendation 12
Improve the quality of legal service provided to the detained men, at least when renewing the service contract with the Legal Aid Agency, and by providing robust feedback to the firms (section 7.2.3).
Home Office
Other
Recommendation 13
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Establish a mechanism, separate if needs be, to review the continued detention of men who have been in detention for a long period without reasonable prospect of their removal (sections 7.2.4, 7.2.5).
Home Office
Resettlement
Recommendation 14
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
As recommended and accepted in 2021 but not effectively actioned, improve the provision of accommodation for men granted bail (section 7.4).
Home Office
Resettlement
Recommendation 15
Improve data collection and management and systematise this to reduce reliance on the goodwill and abilities of specific individuals (section 3.6).
Governor / Director
Other
Recommendation 16
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Establish a robust, repeatable mechanism for collecting and analysing views of the detained men about their perception of safety in the Gatwick centres (sections 4, 4.3).
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 17
Reduce the prevalence of the use of handcuffs on escort, by striking a better balance between security and the risk of harm or distress to the detained man (section 4.5.1).
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 18
Strengthen the encouragement given to arriving men to take up a Rule 34 appointment with the centre GP. Ensure that healthcare staff involved in initial assessments fully describe the purpose of the Rule 34 appointment (section 4.4.2).
NHS / Healthcare Provider
Healthcare
Recommendation 19
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Ensure that relevant healthcare clinical staff, GPs and psychologists and psychiatrists are fully educated in the application of Rules 35(1) and 35(2) (section 4.4.2).
NHS / Healthcare Provider
Healthcare
Recommendation 20
Share the contents of complaints against Healthcare, having redacted clinical information, and responses to them (sections 5.7, 6.1).
NHS / Healthcare Provider
Complaints