Prison
Cat Category B training prison, Local, TC
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Dovegate
IMB Annual Report 2020 · Published 26 May 2021
HMP Dovegate, a Category B training prison, maintained a generally calm environment despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with effective measures preventing outbreaks. The Board noted positive staff-prisoner relationships and good facilities, but highlighted persistent concerns including race disparity in segregation, lack of body-worn cameras, and issues with prisoner property transfers. Healthcare provision saw improvements in waiting times, but inpatient facilities require upgrades and a lack of confidential therapeutic space on wings remains.
Positive Findings
The Board notes a generally calm and settled prison with good relationships between residents and staff. Effective COVID-19 measures prevented outbreaks. The prison facilities are well-maintained and clean, and food quality is high. Healthcare and custodial staff cooperation is positive, and the key worker scheme is working well. Improvements in fabric and cleanliness, and successful contraband finds are also highlighted.
Key Concerns
Equality/Diversity
Repeated
As with last year’s report the Board has ongoing concerns about apparent race disparity in the CSU.
Safety
Repeated
The lack of availability of body-worn cameras (BWCs) is a concern to the Board. This has been raised in previous reports
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The Board still has to deal with a substantial number of property issues resulting from transfers from other establishments. More effort needs to be made to find a national solution to this problem, perhaps taking a lead from Dovegate’s introduction of a computerised property log for residents. This has been highlighted in at least our last three annual reports.
Healthcare
Repeated
Resolve the ongoing issue of the inadequate and unhygienic toilet in the main waiting room in the health centre.
Healthcare
Upgrade the inpatient bath/shower room.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Reinstate the provision of purposeful activity for residents in the inpatient healthcare unit.
Resettlement/Release
The Board asks the minister to encourage the government to continue the National Homelessness Task Force after the pandemic, so that resettlement departments have this additional help to provide settled accommodation on release to prisoners without strong family ties.
Equality/Diversity
An obvious omission, required by Prison Service Instruction 05/2016, is provision for the many prisoners of no faith. There is no Humanist representative in the prison, although there are prisoners who would prefer their emotional and support needs to be met by someone who is not religious.
Mental Health
The mental health team frequently must conduct confidential assessments and interventions in communal areas on the wings. The lack of a therapeutic space on the wings means that the ability to conduct group interventions with appropriate teaching materials is limited, as is the ability to conduct sensitive one-to-one therapy confidentially.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staff-prisoner relationships are generally positive, enhanced by the successful key worker scheme and good communication. The Board noted that some officers lacked wing-specific knowledge when inquiries were made. Staffing levels in education remained consistent despite COVID-19, and the OMU benefits from dedicated, non-operational staff.
Healthcare
Healthcare services, provided by Care UK and Midland Partnership Foundation Trust for mental health, showed good cooperation with custodial teams, leading to positive outcomes and prompt addressing of concerns. Waiting times for GP, dental, and mental health assessments were maintained. However, the inpatient unit's bath/shower room is dated, and purposeful activity there is lacking, particularly for mental health patients. The main health centre waiting room toilet remains unfit for purpose, and mental health team vacancy rates impacted routine referral targets. There's also a lack of confidential therapeutic space on wings.
Regime & Daily Life
The prison's regime significantly changed due to COVID-19 lockdowns in the latter half of the year, curtailing purposeful activity despite strong efforts earlier to achieve over 95% engagement. Education moved to in-cell provision and distance learning, with library services maintaining a trolley system. Essential workers continued their duties, and a restricted regime for industries started in July. Prisoners received extra support like telephone credit and exercise programs to mitigate the impact of prolonged confinement.
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 | 15 | 17 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 0 | 15 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions | 6 | 6 | — |
| Equality | 7 | 5 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 9 | 15 | |
| Food and kitchens | 5 | 6 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 34 | 44 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 3 | 16 | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 7 | 41 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 26 | 79 | |
| Property within this establishment | 24 | 42 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 14 | 39 | |
| Sentence management, including home detention curfew, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 6 | 15 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 17 | 27 | |
| Transfers | 7 | 4 |
Recommendations (8)
Other: 1
HMPPS: 2
Governor / Director: 5
6 repeated
Recommendation 1
The Board asks the minister to encourage the government to continue the National Homelessness Task Force after the pandemic, so that resettlement departments have this additional help to provide settled accommodation on release to prisoners without strong family ties.
Other
(other)
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board looks for positive timely action from the Prison Service in regard to the point raised below, regarding prisoners’ property during transfer. This has been highlighted in at least our last three annual reports. Far more urgency needs to be applied to this problem.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board still has to deal with a substantial number of property issues resulting from transfers from other establishments. More effort needs to be made to find a national solution to this problem, perhaps taking a lead from Dovegate’s introduction of a computerised property log for residents.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 4
Upgrade the inpatient bath/shower room.
Governor / Director
Healthcare
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Ensure that working body-worn cameras are available to every officer on the CSU and SRU, and that they are worn and visible outside clothing at all times.
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Resolve the ongoing issue of the inadequate and unhygienic toilet in the main waiting room in the health centre.
Governor / Director
Healthcare
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Reinstate the provision of purposeful activity for residents in the inpatient healthcare unit.
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Continue to investigate the apparent race disproportionality in the CSU.
Governor / Director
Equality
Other IMB Reports for Dovegate
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
18 Sep 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 3
Respect: 3
Activity: 1
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.