Prison
Cat High Security, Training
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Frankland
IMB Annual Report 2022 · Published 26 May 2023
HMP Frankland, a high-security training prison, has operated near its 852 capacity. The Board noted positive developments including staff efforts to maintain safety, the continuation of social video calls, and strong educational engagement. Key concerns include chronic healthcare staffing shortages, persistent issues with property tracking, the ingress of illicit drugs, and the impact of heating problems on workshop availability.
Positive Findings
The Board welcomed the continuation of beneficial pandemic strategies, such as social video calls. They were satisfied with staff efforts to maintain a safe and humane environment, and noted improvements in healthcare complaint resolution through the PALS line. Education and purposeful activity thrived with peer mentor involvement, Koestler Awards success, and a well-resourced library service. Strong partnerships and well-organised visits further supported prisoners, and the IMB commended the prison's support for their monitoring activities.
Key Concerns
Staffing
The chronic staffing shortages in healthcare.
Other
Repeated
The long-overdue tracking and tracing of property.
Substance Misuse
Illicit drugs getting into the estate.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Days lost in workshops because of on-going heating issues.
Overcrowding
The demands on resources resulting from an increasing older age range population.
Healthcare
HMP Frankland’s provision for pharmacy on the lower older wings is not fit for purpose.
Complaints/Property
Actions are needed to improve the complaints response times.
Food/Catering
Plans are needed to replace or repair kitchen equipment so that food provision is not affected.
Healthcare
Waiting times for dental appointments remain a particular concern.
Mental Health
The room allocated to the mental health team is too small, and there are insufficient rooms for team members to meet with prisoners.
Mental Health
The lack of an appropriate environment for prisoners diagnosed with dementia.
Safety
Maintaining levels of stability in the MPU in relation to both violence and self-harm.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing continues to be a constant challenge across healthcare, with many vacancies and reliance on agency staff. The Offender Management Unit also has three vacancies impacting improvement. Despite these challenges, staff/prisoner relationships are generally good, and 99.73% of prisoners are allocated a key worker, with improving compliance and session numbers.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision has faced pressures due to staffing shortages and Covid-19 outbreaks, leading to prioritisation of urgent cases. Dental waiting times, though reduced to 39 weeks, remain a concern. Mental health services operate in cramped conditions with insufficient interview rooms, and the Board is concerned about the lack of an appropriate environment for prisoners with dementia. Pharmacy dispensing facilities on lower wings are inadequate, and complaints about healthcare, particularly medication, are trending upwards.
Regime & Daily Life
Regime restrictions, particularly related to Covid-19 outbreaks, continued to impact daily life, although overall restrictions have reduced. Prisoners had daily access to showers, phone calls, exercise, and meals, with additional in-cell activities provided. A significant issue is the ongoing closure of workshops due to heating problems, preventing prisoners from working in environments below 16°C.
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 | 9 | 1 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 10 | 6 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives, sanctions | 4 | 9 | |
| Equality | 4 | 8 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 5 | 7 | |
| Food and kitchens | 7 | 10 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 13 | 21 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 15 | 17 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 90 | 21 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 4 | 17 | |
| Property within this establishment | 22 | 12 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 12 | 4 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 18 | 15 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 52 | 13 | |
| Transfers | 13 | 12 |
Recommendations (9)
Ministry of Justice: 2
HMPPS: 4
Governor / Director: 3
1 repeated
Recommendation 1
What plans does the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) have to address the chronic staffing shortages in healthcare?
Ministry of Justice
Staffing, Healthcare
Recommendation 2
Repeated
We would again ask the Minister to look into the tracking and tracing of property. This is long overdue.
Ministry of Justice
Property
Recommendation 3
How are illicit drugs getting into the estate?
HMPPS
Substance Misuse, Safety
Recommendation 4
Days are still being lost in the workshops because of on-going heating issues. Why has this problem not been resolved?
HMPPS
Regime, Estate
Recommendation 5
How does the Prison Service plan to cope with the demands on resources resulting from an increasing older age range population?
HMPPS
Overcrowding, Healthcare
Recommendation 6
HMP Frankland’s provision for pharmacy on the lower older wings is not fit for purpose. Does the Prison Service have a solution to this critical situation?
HMPPS
Healthcare, Estate
Recommendation 7
What further action can be taken to prevent illicit drugs/items getting into the estate?
Governor / Director
Substance Misuse, Safety
Recommendation 8
What actions are in place to improve the complaints response times?
Governor / Director
Complaints
Recommendation 9
What plans are in place to replace or repair kitchen equipment so that the provision is not affected?
Governor / Director
Estate, Food