Prison
Cat D
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Ford
IMB Annual Report 2022 · Published 13 April 2023
HMP Ford is largely deemed a safe environment with fair and humane treatment, effective healthcare, and strong resettlement efforts. However, significant concerns remain regarding unsuitable prisoner arrivals, chronic understaffing in Probation, and a deteriorating prison estate, including outdated accommodation and delays in new builds. The Board also highlights issues with procurement, the lack of consistency in property rules nationally, and challenges in catering and post-release accommodation.
Positive Findings
The IMB commends HMP Ford for being a safe environment and for staff treating prisoners fairly and humanely. The healthcare department provides a very effective service, working well with other teams, and the chaplaincy team offers excellent spiritual and pastoral support. The reducing reoffending team is congratulated for successfully finding work opportunities, aided by positive developments like the employment advisory board and prison employment lead. The Governor is praised for investment in a motivated staff team and commitment to diversity and inclusion. The Board also notes increased rigor in wing cleaning and general tidiness.
Key Concerns
Resettlement/Release
The worsening situation in the Probation Service is significantly hampering the ability of Ford to deliver on its resettlement mandate.
Resettlement/Release
Failure of the Metropolitan police to carry out the checks necessary to allow the prison to deliver on its resettlement objective.
Other
Repeated
Sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPPs) are inhumane and should be removed from existing prisoners.
Safety
The most serious issue for Ford during the year has been the high number of unsuitable prisoners arriving at Ford, including those with less than six months to serve and those only partially assessed for re-categorisation.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Whilst there have been some improvements in the accommodation, these are largely cosmetic and much more is needed, illustrating the continued deterioration in the property infrastructure.
Estate/Conditions
Disappointment on the level of uncertainty in committing the funding for both day to day activities and most particularly capital projects, leading to delays in redevelopment plans.
Other
HMPPS procurement processes are too often not delivering solutions to the prison on a timely basis, such as the ongoing delay in installing secure prisoner lockers.
Other
Repeated
The lack of consistency between prisons as to what items are allowed to be held continues to cause unnecessary problems for prisoners, with no national movement to meet framework recommendations.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The domestic quality washing machines in the new accommodation are not sufficiently robust to stand up to what is in effect an institutional workload, impacting morale and work presentation.
Food/Catering
Challenges in providing an interesting, varied and nutritious menu due to a low daily budget (£2.19 per man) and poor quality of ingredients from the national supplier.
Food/Catering
Repeated
High prices charged in the canteen compared to external supermarkets.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Constant IT issues with the virtual campus preventing it from functioning as desired.
Resettlement/Release
Difficulty in obtaining post-release accommodation, with 19 prisoners released without accommodation in the reporting year (up from five previously).
Board Commentary
Staffing
The Board commends investment in a motivated staff team, which has noticeably improved daily life and prisoner outcomes. Healthcare has a higher profile due to merged services and uplifted staffing levels, with extended core hours. However, recruitment campaigns have not increased PE officers beyond two, and Ford probation has been understaffed with only three members for most of the year against established posts for six.
Healthcare
The healthcare department provides a very effective service, managing the post-Covid-19 transition well and collaborating effectively with substance misuse and wellbeing teams. Staffing levels have been uplifted through a merger with ISMS, leading to an increased presence and extended core hours. However, the existing healthcare building is cramped and dingy, making it difficult to promote a healthy environment, and the planned new building has faced significant delays.
Regime & Daily Life
HMP Ford operates a largely relaxed regime, with a high proportion of men working or in education outside the prison daily, and 90% on an enhanced regime. However, the arrival of unsuitable prisoners, including those with short sentences or partial assessments, frequently leads to the suspension of Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) privileges and lost work opportunities. This causes resentment and wastes resources, impacting prisoners' progression at a critical time in their sentence.
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 | 1 | 3 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 1 | 2 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 5 | 1 | |
| Equality | 0 | 1 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 0 | 3 | |
| Food and kitchens | 3 | 0 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 2 | 4 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 3 | 5 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 1 | 2 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 9 | 7 | |
| Property within this establishment | 0 | 3 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 1 | 2 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 12 | 12 | — |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 1 | 3 | |
| Transfers | 0 | 0 |
Recommendations (11)
Ministry of Justice: 3
HMPPS: 5
Governor / Director: 3
4 repeated
Recommendation 1
It is concerning to report that the worsening situation in the Probation Service is significantly hampering the ability of Ford to deliver on its resettlement mandate. In spite of the positive efforts of the offender management teams at Ford, the progress of prisoners is slowed down by the lack of available probation resource, most notably in London. See section 7.6.2.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 1
The most serious issue for Ford during the year has been the high number of unsuitable prisoners arriving at Ford. This includes prisoners: a) with less than six months to serve (In the year to September 2022, 457 men arrived at Ford and 52, 11%, had less than six months to serve); and those b) who had only been partially assessed for re-categorisation to open conditions, or were re-categorised by default. Many were quickly identified at Ford as being unsuitable. Both of these kinds of prisoner cause problems across many aspects of life at Ford. Those in a) above feel resentment at not being able to take full advantage of what is on offer at Ford. In some cases, these prisoners lost their release on temporary licence (ROTL) privilege upon arrival, and hence feel they are going backwards at a critical time in their sentence. Those in b) above increase the risk of absconds, decrease levels of safety and waste resources across Ford.
HMPPS
Safety
Recommendation 1
The Board commends the investment made to support a more motivated staff team. This has made a noticeable difference in the day to day life of the prison, showing a clear commitment to improving prisoner outcomes. There is more still to do and we support the Governor’s ongoing commitment to this all-important work.
Governor / Director
Staffing
Recommendation 2
The issues described above re the Probation Service were compounded further during the year by the failure of the Metropolitan police to carry out the checks necessary to allow the prison to deliver on its resettlement objective.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Whilst there have been some improvements in the accommodation, these are largely cosmetic and much more is needed. The Board commends the prisoner projects team who have carried out much of this work. See section 5.1.9.
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 2
Prev. addressed
Although the issues with the D wing washing machines reported last year have to all intents and purposes been resolved, it is disappointing to find that the new accommodation domestic quality washing machines are not sufficiently robust to stand up to what is in effect an institutional workload. Ongoing personal laundry issues impact on the morale of the men and impede those at work. This is a matter that should be addressed, with the prison providing a more robust solution for such equipment. See section 5.1.11.
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Together with IMBs throughout the country, we continue to stress that sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPPs) are inhumane and should be removed from existing prisoners. There are seven prisoners serving IPP sentences in Ford at the end of the reporting year, all of whom have served over their original tariff, with one individual having served 15 years over their original sentence. See section 7.6.5.
Ministry of Justice
Other
Recommendation 3
Whilst accepting that the country is facing significant economic headwinds, it is nonetheless disappointing to report on the level of uncertainty in committing the funding for both day to day activities and most particularly capital projects. The reversal of the progress on the plan to replace B wing and the health centre, with completion now pushed out to 2025 from the original 2023 is a good example of this. See section 5.1.2.
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. addressed
Last year, the Board commented on the progress that had been made in responding to concerns raised in our 2020 report concerning diversity and inclusion. We have again been impressed with the Governor’s commitment to this area and applaud the steps taken. As HMP Ford plans for a significant growth in numbers, so the investment needs to continue. See section 5.4.
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 4
It is disappointing to note that too often HMPPS procurement processes are not delivering solutions to the prison on a timely basis. A current example of this is the ongoing delay in installing secure prisoner lockers with mobile phone charging facilities. See section 4.1.1.
HMPPS
Other
Recommendation 5
Repeated
The lack of consistency between prisons as to what items are allowed to be held continues to cause unnecessary problems for prisoners. We note that there does not appear to have been any movement nationally to meet the recommendations set out in the national property framework. See section 5.8.
HMPPS
Respect