Prison
Cat D
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
North Sea Camp
IMB Annual Report 2022 · Published 7 August 2022
HMP North Sea Camp is an open Category D male resettlement prison. This report covers the period from March 2021 to February 2022, during which the prison managed a return to a more normal regime following Covid-19 restrictions, demonstrating strong rehabilitative efforts and good healthcare provision. Key concerns persist regarding end-of-life care, inadequate accommodation and accessibility for disabled prisoners, delays in offender management, and issues with contracted maintenance and property transfers.
Positive Findings
The rehabilitative culture at HMP North Sea Camp continues to work well, fostering a polite and calm atmosphere with very few violent incidents. Staff are commended for creating an inclusive environment for all prisoners, and the recycling activity provides valuable employment opportunities and qualifications for release. Healthcare provision remains good, with resumed clinics and acceptable waiting lists. The Governor and his team are praised for efficiently opening the regime post-pandemic and increasing outside employment. The catering facilities are of a high standard with a 5-star food hygiene rating, and staff-prisoner relationships are generally positive. The Offender Management Unit is now efficient and makes effective use of ROTL to support rehabilitation and family ties.
Key Concerns
Healthcare
There is no suitable facility for end-of-life care or on-site residential healthcare for prisoners with chronic and serious health issues.
Estate/Conditions
The decommissioned Harrison and Llewellin accommodation units lack a replacement plan, and the Selby units are temporary.
Estate/Conditions
Double rooms in main accommodation units are inadequately sized, often not complying with PSI for two occupants.
Equality/Diversity
Prisoners using wheelchairs face difficulties with travel and overnight accommodation for ROTL, delaying their progression.
Resettlement/Release
The Offender Management Unit (OMU) and Community Offender Managers (COMs) cause delays in information provision, OASys assessments, and ROTL paperwork, potentially prolonging sentences.
Estate/Conditions
Concerns exist regarding the time taken to complete routine maintenance jobs and issues with the transfer of prisoners’ property by contracted services, with a lack of penalties for contract failures.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The reporting year saw high rates of staff sickness due to Covid-19, but staff continue to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment for prisoners. The mental health team comprises three full-time and one part-time nurses. Training for control and restraint (C&R) is ongoing, with 54 out of 63 eligible staff trained, leaving nine currently out of ticket due to pandemic-related training halts.
Healthcare
Healthcare services, provided by Nottinghamshire NHS Foundation Trust, are largely complimented by prisoners, with an HMIP survey finding 81% rated care as good. Mental and physical healthcare teams are praised for their continued support during the pandemic, with clinics resuming and waiting lists at acceptable levels. There is no in-patient healthcare provision or dedicated palliative care unit at HMP North Sea Camp, raising concerns for the aging prisoner population with serious medical conditions.
Regime & Daily Life
Following Covid-19 restrictions, the regime has gradually returned to normality, with ROTL, education, and outside work resuming. Workshops operate on a cohorting basis, but communal dining and group religious activities are still suspended, with a takeaway meal service in place. Prisoners spent less time in their rooms as restrictions eased, and the gymnasium reopened for organised sessions. Mass Covid-19 testing and isolation protocols were in place, contributing to a successful vaccination programme.
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 transfers) | 45 | 38 | |
| Adjudications | 1 | 1 | — |
| Disability | 0 | 0 | |
| Discrimination | 0 | 0 | |
| Early Release (ROTL/HDC) | 20 | 12 | |
| Food | 0 | 0 | |
| General | 131 | 152 | |
| Grand Total | 324 | 280 | |
| Health & Social Care | 11 | 10 | |
| Legal | 0 | 0 | |
| Offender Management | 64 | 22 | |
| Property | 50 | 45 | |
| Religion | 0 | 0 | |
| Safeguarding (adult/child) | 1 | 0 | |
| Staff Conduct | 0 | 0 | |
| Substance Misuse | 0 | 0 | |
| Wellbeing | 0 | 0 | |
| Work/Education/Vocational Training | 1 | 0 |
Recommendations (7)
HMPPS: 5
Governor / Director: 2
Recommendation 1
Community offender managers often take a long time to update their part of OASys and complete the paperwork to enable prisoners to sit ROTL boards. This can mean prisoners having to postpone Parole Board hearings as they have not done the required ROTLs and means prisoners may spend more time in prison than strictly necessary. Timescales for return of paperwork would be helpful.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
The quality of some of the accommodation is poor and the space allocated to prisoners sharing rooms is not ideal. It was good to see the two-storey aging accommodation units decommissioned, however the Board is concerned that, as yet, there is no plan to replace them.
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 3
There are some areas of the prison inaccessible to prisoners with physical disabilities, especially those who use wheelchairs. Although improvements have been made, budget needs to be allocated so that all areas are accessible to those who use wheelchairs, especially bariatric wheelchairs.
HMPPS
Equality
Recommendation 4
Budget needs to be allocated to convert the current dormitories to smaller rooms so that, when HMP North Sea Camp is at full capacity, no prisoners will have to share with more than one other person.
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 5
The IMB is concerned by the time taken to complete routine maintenance jobs, and the issues around the transfer of prisoners’ property. These are issues that are provided by contracted out services and the Board is concerned that contract failures do not result in penalties to encourage compliance.
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 6
There are some areas of the prison inaccessible to prisoners with physical disabilities, especially those who use wheelchairs.
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 7
To ensure that work continues on the further extension of Jubilee self-catering housing.
Governor / Director
Resettlement
Other IMB Reports for North Sea Camp
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
22 May 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 4
Respect: 3
Activity: 3
Release: 3
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.