IRC
Cat IRC
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre
IMB Annual Report 2022 · Published 18 August 2023
The IMB annual report for Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre (HIRC) for 2022 highlights persistent issues despite generally safe conditions. Key concerns include the safety implications of processing South Coast Arrivals, the continued detention of individuals with severe mental health issues, and a dilapidated infrastructure leading to major service disruptions and a site evacuation. The report also raises concerns about the quality of food, the inappropriate use of the Care and Separation Unit, and a lack of effective engagement from the Detention Engagement Team.
Positive Findings
The Board notes the smooth transition of healthcare provision from CNWL to Practice Plus Group and welcomed the gradual reintroduction of wellbeing initiatives to the Centre. The advertising of facilities and competitions, along with a renewed buzz in education and sports, was positive. The Contractor was commended for efforts in promoting purposeful activity and for contributing to a positive atmosphere, despite challenges. Staff also aim to act quickly on bed bug suggestions, and cultural kitchens remained popular.
Key Concerns
Safety
The situation with respect to the arrival and management of SCAs in the Short-Term Holding Facility (STHF) area severely compromised safety for the SCA men and women, for existing detainees and for staff. Overcrowding on arrival and truncated health assessments were particularly evident and created unacceptable pressures.
Mental Health
Repeated
We remain concerned that people who are mentally unfit for detention are still assessed and approved by the Home Office Gate Keeper for detention. Furthermore, the IMB feels that failings of the detention engagement team (DET) to engage effectively may have contributed to feelings of frustration and powerlessness for some detainees, potentially leading to incidents of self-harm.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The fairness and humanity with which detainees are treated is severely tested by the dilapidated nature of the infrastructure in which they are expected to reside. The Board notes, in particular, the frequency of loss of services (power, gas, water and communications) throughout the year (over 30 incidents, culminating in a 42-hour power and water outage which forced the evacuation of the entire Harmondsworth site), the state of the ventilation and heating systems and the hostel-style units on the Harmondsworth site which require considerable updating to be fit for purpose.
Food/Catering
Repeated
The Board recognises the difficulties encountered in catering for a diverse population of detainees on a limited budget but remains concerned about the effect the variety, quantity and quality of the food on offer is having on detainee physical and mental wellbeing, as well as on the safety and security of the Centre.
Segregation
Repeated
The Board notes that the CSU was used 38 times in the year to facilitate removal directions, in some cases a number of days in advance of flights which were then cancelled. We also note that the CSU was used to house detainees who refused, for whatever reason, to share a room when the Centre was nowhere near full capacity. Given the directions included in Rules 40 and 42 of Detention Services Order 02/2017 the Board does not believe that the CSU should be used for these purposes.
Staffing
Repeated
The Board remains extremely concerned about the lack of DET engagement with residents throughout the year, frustration with which resulted in a number of incidents of concerted indiscipline.
Complaints/Property
We have been told repeatedly by detainees that there is no point making complaints regarding contracted services because they will not be properly investigated. The statistics for 2022, whereby 85% of all official complaints relating to the Contractor were ruled ‘unsubstantiated’ would seem to lend some credibility to these concerns.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The Board repeats its concern for the third year running that too many detainees are held for unacceptably long periods of time with no chance of imminent removal.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The Board repeats once more concerns about the time taken to find suitable bail accommodation once bail has been granted in principle, particularly for time served foreign national offenders (TSFNO).
Board Commentary
Staffing
In 2022, detainee numbers returned to pre-Covid capacity while staffing levels remained steady, leading to a fall in the staff-to-detainee ratio. Mitie Care & Custody introduced a "Make Heathrow Great" program to improve staff retention and recruitment. However, the Board noted significant personnel gaps, especially for mental health nurses at Practice Plus Group, raising concerns about potential impacts on detainee care.
Healthcare
Overall, detainees' health and wellbeing needs are being met, with a smooth transition of healthcare provision to Practice Plus Group (PPG) and reintroduction of wellbeing initiatives. However, applications about healthcare issues increased, attributed to a higher detainee-to-staff ratio post-pandemic. Significant staffing gaps, particularly for mental health nurses, remain a major concern for PPG. The Board continues to advocate that detention is inappropriate for individuals with severe mental health issues, noting only one mental health transfer out in 2022 despite 1,536 referrals and 33 detainees on the mental health nurse caseload.
Regime & Daily Life
The Centre's regime was impacted by Covid restrictions for much of the year, leading to isolation and limited access to fresh air and activities until August 2022. The hostel-style Cedar and Dove units in Harmondsworth are noted as needing significant investment. The Board welcomed the buzz in education and sports facilities, including popular cultural kitchens. Despite challenges like smoking indoors and property damage, the Contractor is commended for efforts to provide stress-reducing activities and flexibility, showing a shift towards detainee needs and sensitivities.
Recommendations (16)
Ministry of Justice: 5
Home Office: 5
Governor / Director: 3
NHS / Healthcare Provider: 3
9 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
In our 2021 annual report, we recommended that the Home Office fund a complete overhaul of the heating and ventilation systems on both HIRC sites. This recommendation was partially accepted, yet we are unaware of any attempt to deliver on this recommendation in any meaningful way. Given the significant impact of outages during 2022, culminating in the evacuation of the entire Harmondsworth site in November, we urge the Minister in the strongest possible terms to fund a major utility infrastructure programme to ensure that the November event is not repeated.
Ministry of Justice
Estate
Recommendation 2
It is our view that the Cedar and Dove units in Harmondsworth, hostel-style units with showers and toilets at the ends of corridors, need significant investment to bring them into line with the rest of the Harmondsworth estate. We understand that these units are slated for an overhaul in 2025-2026 but consider that this timing is too protracted and that the works should be brought forward.
Ministry of Justice
Estate
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
In our 2021 annual report, we urged the Minister to fund a complete replacement of the core lift in Harmondsworth, a lift which is essential for enabling detainees with mobility issues to access healthcare. A replacement lift was not commissioned and during 2022 the central lift was out of order on numerous occasions over a five-month period. We continue to urge the Minister to fund a replacement to this vital lift
Ministry of Justice
Estate
Recommendation 4
Based on our exposure to June 2022’s failed Charter to Rwanda, we would urge the Minister to note our concerns about timings, general transparency, and the quality & availability of information for detainees. In our view, every effort should be made to minimise the stress, upset and increased chances of self-harm caused by the MEDP Policy, for both the affected detainees and the wider IDE community.
Ministry of Justice
Safety
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
In our 2021 annual report, we urged the Minister to review the policy which results in people with severe mental health issues being held in IRCs. The Board repeats its recommendation: The role of the Home Office Gate Keeper and accountability for their decisions, in particular, needs to be urgently reviewed.
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Recommendation 6
The Home Office needs to prioritise communication between the various teams working within immigration enforcement, as well as probation staff, to ensure, among other things, that delays in decisions regarding 'approved' accommodation and delays in the removal of TSFNOs willing and able to return to their countries of origin are reduced to a minimum.
Home Office
Resettlement
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Home Office should minimise use of the CSU in anticipation of the removal of detainees, and in particular where this residence extends to more than 24 hours.
Home Office
Segregation
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Home Office needs to consider different ways of dealing with detainees who, for physical or mental reasons, feel incapable of sharing a room and should avoid using the CSU as a punishment for detainees who resist a request to share.
Home Office
Segregation
Recommendation 9
The Home Office should improve the access and capacity of the interpreting and translation services in HIRC; this is especially important given the number of detainees in HIRC whose first language is not English.
Home Office
Equality
Recommendation 10
In light of the problems experienced during the November 2022 evacuation of Harmondsworth, e.g. lost possessions, inadequate emergency clothing and inadequate communication with detainees, we would urge the Home Office to ensure that the HIRC Contingency Plan is reviewed and is truly ‘fit for purpose’.
Home Office
Safety
Recommendation 11
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
It is our view that official protests about food, coupled with complaints to the Board, are a serious cause for concern, not just in relation to the fair and humane treatment of detainees, but also in respect of the safety and security of the Centre. We urge the Contractor to remain vigilant and responsive to all feedback from detainees regarding the food offering and to do whatever it can to improve its variety and quantity.
Governor / Director
Food
Recommendation 12
It is our view that the complaints process whereby the Contractor leads investigations against their own staff should be improved by - at a minimum - ensuring that complaints are investigated by officers based outside the Centre. Absent of such a change, detainees will continue to distrust the system and avoid using it.
Governor / Director
Complaints
Recommendation 13
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
We would support broader use of the Colnbrook care suite for short term respite, particularly for detainees with deteriorating mental health conditions. We also urge the Contractor to replicate the Colnbrook care suite facility in Harmondsworth.
Governor / Director
Mental Health
Recommendation 14
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Healthcare Manager’s efforts to achieve full staffing should continue to be supported, especially in the area of mental health, which is seriously understaffed.
NHS / Healthcare Provider
Staffing
Recommendation 15
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
We would urge the Healthcare Manager to undertake a review of the use of the extensive inpatient healthcare wing in Harmondsworth to relieve pressure on local community services.
NHS / Healthcare Provider
Healthcare
Recommendation 16
The Board found feedback from the healthcare team to the weekly questions and concerns set out in our Rota Reports very disappointing. We would therefore urge the Healthcare Manager to provide a ‘point person’ to respond in a timely manner to our concerns about detainee care.
NHS / Healthcare Provider
Healthcare