Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Holme House
IMB Annual Report 2021 · Published 9 June 2022
HMP Holme House experienced a year dominated by Covid-19 restrictions, yet saw notable improvements in overall ambiance, cleanliness, and reduced violence. While healthcare services generally improved and key worker compliance increased, significant concerns persist regarding unacceptable dental waiting times, inadequate education provision, and unscreened toilets in cells. The Board highlights issues with property transport and the lack of clarity surrounding external service provider contracts, calling for action from the Minister, Prison Service, and Governor.
Positive Findings
The prison leadership team worked hard to ensure a reasonable quality of life during Covid-19 restrictions, with timely communication and expedient reinstatement of lockdown benefits. The overall culture, ambiance, and cleanliness within the prison have considerably improved, with positive artwork and a pleasant environment. Healthcare services significantly improved, including reduced GP waiting lists, and Holme House was the top-performing prison in the region for Covid-19 vaccinations. The downward trend in violence continued, with levels below comparator prisons, and the Offender Management Unit operated effectively, alongside a successful computer coding programme.
Key Concerns
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The continued unsatisfactory level of unscreened toilets in cells, many of which are shared, remains non-compliant with the national standard for the physical cleanliness and physical decency of prisons.
Healthcare
Repeated
Dental services remain unacceptable, with a waiting time for regular appointments of one year and 40 weeks, a significant worsening since 2019.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
Education and training require improvement, with services not as good as they were three to four years ago, and issues regarding access to distance learning and Open University programmes.
Other
The cumbersome content and lack of clarity around some contracts with external service providers hinders the Board's ability to monitor against standards, as contract details are often inaccessible to both the Board and the prison.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Constraints about property transport are unclear and cause distress to prisoners, leading to significant delays in property reaching prisoners, especially during transfers.
Estate/Conditions
Some areas of education could not progress because of essential repairs not being carried out, including ventilation to the bistro and ceilings to the toilets in the engagement centre.
Complaints/Property
Responses to healthcare complaints did not meet their longer response timescales over several months, with the Board believing these should be comparable to prison complaints.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Key worker sessions met their 52% compliance target by year-end, despite ongoing staff sickness and redeployment challenges. Healthcare experienced continued low staffing, mitigated by agency and bank nurses, while the chaplaincy operated below its full complement. The mental health team had no vacancies by the end of 2021, though security checks caused delays for new appointments.
Healthcare
Spectrum is contracted to provide healthcare, which generally improved despite low staffing, covered by agency nurses. GP waiting lists reduced, though primary mental health care waiting times increased to 13 weeks for assessment and 20 weeks for treatment due to Covid-19. Dental care remains problematic, with a waiting list of one year and 40 weeks for regular appointments, with only emergencies seen. The 16-bed inpatient unit functions well, and the mental health team was nominated for a best practice award.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime was severely constrained by Covid-19 throughout the year, leading to prisoners often spending long periods locked in their cells. Despite these restrictions, prisoners were offered at least one hour of gym time per week, in addition to one hour of daily association time. Purposeful activity was disrupted, with in-cell learning showing poor uptake and limited classroom teaching only restarting towards the end of the year.
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 | 10 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 7 | 4 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions | 0 | 5 | |
| Equality | 7 | 5 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 4 | 11 | |
| Food and kitchens | 2 | 4 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 46 | 46 | — |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 18 | 24 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 1 | 0 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 13 | 26 | |
| Property within this establishment | 12 | 18 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 12 | 9 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 20 | 20 | — |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 31 | 6 | |
| Transfers | 7 | 28 |
Recommendations (7)
Ministry of Justice: 1
HMPPS: 3
Governor / Director: 3
4 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board would ask the Minister to take action in connection with dental services at HMP Holme House.
Ministry of Justice
Healthcare
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board is concerned that the Prison Service has not acted expediently in connection with the poor dental services at the prison and recommends urgent action.
HMPPS
Healthcare
Recommendation 3
The Board recommends that the Prison Service address the cumbersome content and lack of clarity around contracts with external service providers, as understanding their content is critical for the Board's monitoring.
HMPPS
Other
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board recommends that the Prison Service address the unclear constraints about property transport, which can cause distress to prisoners and significant delays in property delivery.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board recommends that the Governor ensure improvements are made in certain areas, such as dental care and education.
Governor / Director
Healthcare
Recommendation 6
The Board recommends that the Governor ensure clarity on agreed standards, particularly where contract details are not available, to facilitate the Board's monitoring.
Governor / Director
Other
Recommendation 7
The Board recommends that the Governor's leadership team take an increased interest in healthcare complaints, ensuring responses meet their timescales and are comparable to prison complaints.
Governor / Director
Complaints
Other IMB Reports for Holme House
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
6 Mar 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 3
Respect: 4
Activity: 2
Release: 3
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.