Prison
Cat B
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Forest Bank
IMB Annual Report 2021 · Published 14 February 2022
HMP Forest Bank, a Category B male prison, faced a challenging year (Nov 2020-Oct 2021) marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, staff shortages, and a transition to a reception prison. Despite these challenges, the Board noted significant improvements in safety, accommodation, and security, driven by a new management team and a proactive approach to Covid containment. Key positive developments include a new employment hub for resettlement and exceptional catering, while concerns remain regarding property handling, organised crime group activity due to the new reception status, and the long-term sustainability of improvements given staff shortages.
Positive Findings
The Board commended the management team for prioritising safety and addressing the HMPPS rectification notice, leading to significant improvements in accommodation cleanliness, security, and Covid containment. Staff-prisoner relationships remained generally good, and the healthcare team delivered an exceptional service. The new employment hub and partnerships with Ingeus and Jobcentre staff are viewed as very positive steps towards successful resettlement, demonstrating a 'can-do' attitude.
Key Concerns
Other
Repeated
Problems regarding the transfer, handling, storage and accessibility of prisoners’ property during their time within the system.
Safety
Significant issues arising from the transfer in status to reception prison, regarding the ongoing activity of organised crime groups.
Staffing
Sustainability of improvements and ongoing positive results when the prison returns to its full capacity, bearing in mind the staff shortages experienced and forecast to continue.
Healthcare
Inability of the dental service to recover high-risk aerosol generating procedures (AGP) due to the ventilation in the dental treatment room not meeting requirements under Covid-19 protocol.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
A sense of frustration among the chaplains that communal worship has not yet restarted (as of early November 2021), especially when all other activities across the prison have resumed.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing was significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in 7580 staff days lost to isolation or infection, which created extreme difficulties. Staff turnover continues to be a problem, and despite ongoing training for new recruits, shortages hindered the key worker scheme. Consequently, a core team of 15 experienced staff now focuses on priority groups. The Board questioned the sustainability of improvements given ongoing staff shortages.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision maintained a good standard, with the Board noting it was possibly better than services available to the general public. However, healthcare applications to the Board increased by a third. External appointments faced long NHS waiting times, and the dental service's ability to perform high-risk aerosol generating procedures was hampered by inadequate ventilation under Covid-19 protocols. Mental health services, including primary and secondary care, continued to provide assessment and support for a range of disorders.
Regime & Daily Life
For considerable periods, the prison operated under significant lockdown, often with reduced staff, severely limiting exercise and association for residents. Regimes gradually eased from a minimum of one hour exercise daily and 45 minutes for limited association. The prison has been proactive in restoring more normal activities, such as education and employment, as restrictions lifted, although some still require lateral flow testing.
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 | 3 | 13 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 6 | 0 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions | 3 | 3 | — |
| Equality | 1 | 7 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 0 | 6 | |
| Food and kitchens | 4 | 1 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 47 | 35 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 15 | 17 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 29 | 31 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 9 | 22 | |
| Property within this establishment | 32 | 12 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 7 | 2 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 1 | 4 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 36 | 33 | |
| Transfers | 4 | 7 |
Recommendations (3)
HMPPS: 2
Governor / Director: 1
1 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
There continue to be problems regarding the transfer, handling, storage and accessibility of prisoners’ property during their time within the system. We understand that work is ongoing to improve this, but seek further reassurance that this is still being addressed.
HMPPS
Property
Recommendation 2
Concerns have been expressed by several sources around the prison regarding the transfer in status to reception prison. This is being managed well internally, but there continue to be problems, as prisoners who would previously have been sent to HMP Manchester are now coming into Forest Bank, raising significant issues regarding the ongoing activity of organised crime groups. What are your views on this?
HMPPS
Safety
Recommendation 3
Given that currently things appear to be moving in the right direction in areas such as accommodation cleanliness, general refurbishment, enhanced security, staff and resident testing and Covid containment in particular, do you think that these results will be sustainable and ongoing when the prison returns to its full capacity, bearing in mind the staff shortages you have experienced and that are forecast as continuing to be a national issue in 2022?
Governor / Director
Staffing
Other IMB Reports for Forest Bank
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
9 Dec 2024
Unannounced
Safety: 2
Respect: 3
Activity: 2
Release: 3
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.
Prevention of Future Deaths Reports
Coroner PFD reports issued to this establishment.