Prison
Cat C YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Stoke Heath
IMB Annual Report 2021 · Published 13 October 2021
HMP/YOI Stoke Heath faced significant challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to a restricted regime with prisoners locked in cells for extended periods, impacting their wellbeing and rehabilitation. Despite this, the IMB found the prison to be safe, with well-led healthcare services and positive staff-prisoner relationships. Key concerns include severe funding cuts to education and vocational training, an inadequate heating system, and the detrimental impact of the restrictive regime and blended learning on purposeful activity and rehabilitation.
Positive Findings
The Board appreciates the outstanding work of the business hub team at Stoke Heath in supporting the Board during the challenging period of remote working. The prison effectively managed a significant Covid-19 outbreak, with its response considered exceptionally well managed by Public Health England. The IMB is satisfied that the prison is safe and generally treats prisoners fairly and humanely, maintaining positive staff-prisoner relationships despite challenges. Healthcare services were well-led and responsive, integrating effectively with prison management. The installation of a body scanner reduced illicit substances, and in-cell telephony significantly improved prisoner welfare. The Board also commends the exceptionally successful Health and Wellbeing Champions (HAWCs) innovation for supporting prisoner wellbeing.
Key Concerns
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
Stoke Heath is unable to meet HMIP and Ofsted inspection requirements as a 32% cut to its education budget, over three years from April 2019, has resulted in the loss of all prisoner qualifications in engineering, tailoring, horticulture, gardens, waste management and gym. The negative impact on vocational training and meaningful activity leads us to question Stoke Heath’s ability to meet its objective for the rehabilitation of prisoners.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The heating and hot water system at HMP Stoke Heath is not fit for purpose. The Board has been made aware that funding has been secured from the Ministry of Justice to replace the system and that the work is planned for next year. However, the Board sees replacement of the system as a priority and urges the Governor to start the work as a matter of priority so that the prisoners do not have to face another winter with inadequate heating.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The move towards blended learning for education courses will result in prisoners being locked up in residential units for longer periods during the working day. This will make it more difficult to develop an effective rehabilitative culture which develops the skills needed by prisoners when released.
Other
Repeated
A longstanding issue remains regarding the inadequate national system for managing prisoners’ property on transfer. The loss of personal items causes prisoners a great deal of distress and has a negative impact on their wellbeing.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Only in exceptional circumstances should a prisoner come to Stoke Heath without an appropriate OASys (offender assessment). Currently, about 10% of prisoners who transfer into Stoke Heath have no OASys or OMiC (offender management in custody) plan and whilst this is an improvement compared with last year, it puts pressure on resources at Stoke Heath.
Staffing
The Board urges the Governor to give priority to his plans to re-introduce a full key worker programme as soon as restrictions allow. The Board believes that this will be a critical tool for the successful transition to a normal regime.
Complaints/Property
Repeated
The Board remains concerned about the quality of some of the prison’s responses to complaints which often do not resolve prisoners’ grievances. This is a major cause of frustration and delay for prisoners and it generates repeat complaints to the prison and the IMB.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
Prisoners should be encouraged to take up and work toward the achievement of maths and English qualifications at an earlier stage in their sentence, before coming to Stoke Heath, to allow more focus on their vocational training.
Safety
The Board questions why prisoners were still being transferred into Stoke Heath during times of major outbreak in the prison and in the general community.
Other
The ability to speak directly to prisoners has been severely restricted due to the pandemic and as a result the IMB is much less able to reflect the lived experience of the prisoners than in than previous years.
Education/Purposeful Activity
A concern was raised at a prisoner consultation meeting that in-cell materials, including those for vocational training, did not meet the needs of prisoners who had difficulties with the written word and that these prisoners would need face-to-face support to complete the courses. The Board is not aware that the prison has responded to this concern.
Equality/Diversity
In August 2020, two prisoners contacted the IMB, independently, about an application to the prison in July for a disability aid to help with chronic pain... Having persisted, we were informed in mid-February that the support chairs had been delivered to the prison. However, it was only after a further application in mid-March and further IMB questioning that the chairs finally reached the two prisoners – eight months after their applications. The IMB concluded that no-one with authority had taken responsibility for ensuring that the prison’s decisions were followed through.
Safety
However, there is apparent reluctance on the part of some staff to wear and use BWCs. Governors are engaging with them to increase their acceptance and use. Latest figures suggest that about 50% of UoF incidents are captured on BWCs.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staff-prisoner relationships remained positive despite a challenging year, with the Board commending staff for their management of Covid-19 difficulties. However, the pausing of the key worker programme negatively impacted prisoners' rehabilitation progress, and its full re-introduction is a priority. While key workers engaged with vulnerable prisoners, the overall programme was limited. Staff showed some reluctance to use body worn cameras, and staffing was challenging for drug rehabilitation work, though unaffected by widespread Covid-19 absence.
Healthcare
Healthcare services, provided by Shropshire Community NHS Trust and partners, were well-led and responsive despite Covid-19's dramatic impact, earning CQC and PHE praise for efficient management during the outbreak. Routine clinics were limited, but urgent needs were triaged, and extra sessions helped manage increased waiting times for dental, podiatrist, and optician services. Telemedicine is being established to reduce hospital escorts. Mental health teams saw increased caseloads due to transfers of mentally unwell prisoners and the pandemic's impact, leading to more ACCTs. Pharmacy services are structured and complaints were minimal.
Regime & Daily Life
The Covid-19 pandemic necessitated significant changes to the prison regime, leading to prisoners being locked in cells for up to 23 hours a day, which raised concerns about long-term physical and mental wellbeing and hindered rehabilitation. While 'bubbles' helped reduce infection and bullying, the prolonged periods in cell lacked meaningful activity and stimulation. The Board views national proposals to permanently embed such restrictive regimes as flawed, fearing detrimental outcomes for prisoners and staff. Additionally, planned blended learning for education is expected to result in prisoners being locked up for longer periods during the working day, further impacting rehabilitative culture.
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 | |
| Disciplinary (adjudications, incentives, benefits) | 27 | 25 | |
| Food | 2 | 2 | — |
| Healthcare | 17 | 21 | |
| Legal (including immigration, court documents) | 2 | 1 | |
| Offender Management (including OASys, sentence planning, probation) | 11 | 14 | |
| Other | 3 | 1 | |
| Property (including valuables) | 135 | 114 | |
| Safety (including bullying, self-harm, vulnerable prisoners, race relations) | 4 | 7 | |
| Staff (including staff attitude, training) | 11 | 9 | |
| Work/education/purposeful activity | 6 | 3 |
Recommendations (7)
Other: 1
HMPPS: 2
Governor / Director: 4
4 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Stoke Heath is unable to meet HMIP and Ofsted inspection requirements as a 32% cut to its education budget, over three years from April 2019, has resulted in the loss of all prisoner qualifications in engineering, tailoring, horticulture, gardens, waste management and gym. The negative impact on vocational training and meaningful activity leads us to question Stoke Heath’s ability to meet its objective for the rehabilitation of prisoners.
Other
(minister)
Education
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Prisoners should be encouraged to take up and work toward the achievement of maths and English qualifications at an earlier stage in their sentence, before coming to Stoke Heath, to allow more focus on their vocational training.
HMPPS
Education
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Only in exceptional circumstances should a prisoner come to Stoke Heath without an appropriate OASys (offender assessment). Currently, about 10% of prisoners who transfer into Stoke Heath have no OASys or OMiC (offender management in custody) plan and whilst this is an improvement compared with last year, it puts pressure on resources at Stoke Heath.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The heating and hot water system at HMP Stoke Heath is not fit for purpose. The Board has been made aware that funding has been secured from the Ministry of Justice to replace the system and that the work is planned for next year. However, the Board sees replacement of the system as a priority and urges the Governor to start the work as a matter of priority so that the prisoners do not have to face another winter with inadequate heating.
Governor / Director
Estate
Recommendation 5
The move towards blended learning for education courses will result in prisoners being locked up in residential units for longer periods during the working day. This will make it more difficult to develop an effective rehabilitative culture which develops the skills needed by prisoners when released.
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 6
Resettlement planning: the Board hopes that for next year the prison is able to build on its actions for resettlement and use its influence and creativity to build new opportunities for prisoners with the skills that are in demand in the workplace. This will increase their chances of meaningful employment and decrease the risk of re-offending.
Governor / Director
Resettlement
Recommendation 7
The Board urges the Governor to give priority to his plans to re-introduce a full key worker programme as soon as restrictions allow. The Board believes that this will be a critical tool for the successful transition to a normal regime.
Governor / Director
Staffing
Other IMB Reports for Stoke Heath
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
9 Jan 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 4
Respect: 3
Activity: 1
Release: 2
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.