Prison
Cat C (Women)
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Peterborough (Women)
IMB Annual Report 2022 · Published 28 September 2022
HMP Peterborough (Women) navigated a challenging year with Covid-19 restrictions, managing outbreaks and staff shortages while still making improvements in safety and achieving its accommodation on release target. Despite this, prisoner dissatisfaction with healthcare services remained high, alongside concerns about the effectiveness of the key worker system and the impact of probation service changes on resettlement. The Board noted the prison's strong commitment to prisoner welfare and its proactive efforts in communication and SEN support.
Positive Findings
The Board considers the prison managed the pandemic well, making considerable improvements in safety and showing strong commitment to prisoner welfare. HMP Peterborough was proactive in communicating regime changes due to Covid, which fostered acceptance. Positive impacts were seen from a new SENCo, who raised staff awareness and improved interventions. The prison provides good faith provision and excellent chaplaincy support, and successfully met its accommodation on release target. End-of-life care is compassionately managed, and transgender individuals are treated decently and sensitively.
Key Concerns
Other
The Board remains concerned at the number of women serving very short sentences.
Resettlement/Release
The Board is concerned that the handover from community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) to the National Probation Service (NPS) left gaps in provision of resettlement services, and that NPS will be restricting their activities further.
Staffing
The Board would like to see the restitution of a robust key work system whereby women are aware of this support and know their assigned key worker.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The Board would like to see further progress on adapting the prison’s regime and practice to suit the needs of women better.
Healthcare
Because of the widespread perception among prisoners that all Healthcare services (Clinical, Mental, and substance misuse) are not up to the standard expected, going forward the prison should prioritise the review and monitoring of Complaints to Healthcare e.g. in the Monthly Clinical Governance Meeting, to ensure that standards are maintained and improved.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The prison faced significant challenges in staff recruitment, training, and retention, particularly due to the opening of HMP Five Wells. While new staff recruitment was largely successful, weekend cover was occasionally stretched, leading to more restricted regimes. Recruitment for clinical posts was especially difficult due to lengthy security checks, though levels are currently adequate. The Board noted the need for restitution of a robust key worker system, as many women remain unaware of it or find it ineffective.
Healthcare
Healthcare services experienced significant pressure from Covid-19, changes in pharmacy provision, staff departures, and the introduction of new primary and secondary mental health service providers. Despite these challenges, staff managed to increase overall activity. However, prisoners reported widespread dissatisfaction with healthcare services, reflected in a high volume of IMB applications. Mental health staff are not routinely present at weekends, and a lack of dedicated group rooms hinders effective provision.
Regime & Daily Life
HMP Peterborough operated under HMPPS Gold Command Covid regimes (Stage 3 or 2/3) throughout the year, with further restrictions during an October 2021 outbreak and due to high staff absence, especially at weekends. This frequently resulted in prisoners being locked in cells for up to 22.5 hours daily. Time out of cell varied, initially limited to short periods in small 'bubble groups,' later extending to 45 minutes exercise for larger groups. The gym was closed for part of the year, and classroom teaching was significantly disrupted, only fully resuming in January 2022.
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 | 12 | 17 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 10 | 4 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions | 4 | 0 | |
| Equality | 15 | 6 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 6 | 7 | |
| Food and kitchens | 3 | 2 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 92 | 47 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 23 | 16 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 4 | 1 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 3 | 4 | |
| Property within this establishment | 29 | 45 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 7 | 8 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 15 | 13 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 39 | 41 | |
| Transfers | 0 | 0 |
Recommendations (4)
HMPPS: 1
Governor / Director: 3
Recommendation 1
The Board would expect to see the full range of resettlement support provided following the handover from community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) to the National Probation Service (NPS), especially as NPS will be restricting their activities further.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
The Board would like to see the restitution of a robust key work system whereby women are aware of this support and know their assigned key worker.
Governor / Director
Staffing
Recommendation 3
The Board would like to see further progress on adapting the prison’s regime and practice to suit the needs of women better.
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 4
Because of the widespread perception among prisoners that all Healthcare services (Clinical, Mental, and substance misuse) are not up to the standard expected, going forward the prison should prioritise the review and monitoring of Complaints to Healthcare e.g. in the Monthly Clinical Governance Meeting, to ensure that standards are maintained and improved.
Governor / Director
Healthcare