Prison
Cat IRC
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Yarl’s Wood
IMB Annual Report 2020 · Published 14 May 2021
This report details the IMB's monitoring of Yarl's Wood IRC for 2020, a year marked by significant operational changes due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a shift from a predominantly women's IRC to a male Short-Term Holding Facility (STHF). The Board commends management and staff for maintaining a safe environment and effective healthcare, including an increase in mental health provisions, despite challenges. Key concerns include the identification and support of vulnerable individuals and minors within the STHF population, issues with information quality from external reception teams, and limitations in the Board's ability to monitor complaint outcomes.
Positive Findings
The Board applauds the Centre’s management for effectively handling the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Centre's evolving role, providing a safe environment. Healthcare management has been effective, with continued improvements in availability and staffing, including a psychologist, ensuring timely and good quality primary and mental healthcare. Escort services have improved in reliability and punctuality, and staff generally maintain good relationships with detainees despite difficult circumstances. The Board welcomes improvements in information provided to detainees about removal directions, which has reduced stress.
Key Concerns
Safety
The Board is, however, concerned that in operating predominantly as a STHF, with large numbers of detainees passing quickly through the Centre, vulnerable adults and minors may not be properly identified and released into the community or transferred within the estate without appropriate support. This was evidenced by there being minors passing through the Centre without being identified.
Complaints/Property
The Board is concerned about the procedures for the notification, investigation and resolution of complaints. While the Board is made aware of all complaints that are made, agencies other than Serco and Mitie do not automatically send the outcome of their investigation to the Centre. The Board is, therefore, unable to monitor the investigation and outcome of complaints properly, or to see evidence that a reply has been sent to complainants.
Mental Health
The Board is concerned that some STHF detainees may have been released without their mental health vulnerabilities being communicated to agencies in the community where they will live. There is also evidence that the medical records of released STHF detainees cannot be sent to GPs where they will live as the detainees’ address is not available to healthcare at the time of departure.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The Centre has witnessed some difficulty with STHF detainees feeling anxious and sometimes angry at the length of time they have been detained. They have expectations that they will be quickly released and managing these expectations could be improved by explaining to them the process in the Centre in a language that they can clearly understand.
Other
The Board has additionally been hindered in its monitoring and scrutiny by the withdrawal by Serco in June 2020 of the Board’s access, via the computerised custodial management system, (CMS) to the records of the Centre. This is in contravention of the Board’s statutory rights, and of the service level agreement and memorandum of understanding between the IMB Management Board and the Home Office. Serco management also ceased providing its monthly Centre manager’s report to the Board in June. The Board was further hindered in its reporting by removal of its access to any computer and printing facilities during the summer months.
Safety
One of the challenges facing the reception team has been the poor quality of information coming from the reception team at Dover. Often the IS91, (the authority to detain form), does not arrive at the same time as the detainees and arrives at a later stage. At times, the numbers of detainees arriving does not tally with the information provided and case information, photos and names do not match. Detainees have also been arriving in wet clothing and with untreated conditions such as a broken wrist, leg injuries and advanced cancer.
Safety
In October, two male STHF detainees were held at the Centre for four days and subsequently transferred to Brook House IRC where they were then identified as minors. These men should have been identified as minors on their arrival at the Centre and discharged to social services.
Safety
The Board was also concerned that if the cohort was released before their 14-day quarantine had been completed, it was taken on trust that they would complete their quarantine at their release address. In addition, detention staff are not dedicated to cohorted units and the risk of cross-contamination is extended to other staff at the Centre.
Substance Misuse
In November two Romanian men became ill after being offered cigarettes by two other detainees and had to be taken to hospital. It was thought, but not proven, that the cigarettes may have been spiked with another substance, possibly spice. It is important that the Centre maintains its vigilance in checking items brought into the Centre.
Other
There have been issues raised by some male detainees who have been transferred from the Dover STHF arriving at the Centre without their property.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staff effectively managed the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Centre's functional change to a predominantly male STHF, displaying generally good relationships with detainees. They adapted professionally to the more challenging behaviour of some detainees and the high influx of STHF detainees from Dover, often with inadequate information. However, the Board observed some issues with staff motivation during periods of low Centre occupancy in the summer months.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision has improved since NHFT took over in 2019, with a good quality of primary and mental healthcare provided in a timely manner. GP appointments are available on a same-day basis, and mental health staffing has increased with a psychologist. However, the Board is concerned that some STHF detainees may be released without their mental health vulnerabilities communicated to community agencies, and medical records cannot always be forwarded to GPs due to unconfirmed addresses upon departure, potentially delaying essential care. There were 6 Covid-19 cases in 2020 out of 30 isolated detainees.
Regime & Daily Life
Detainees have free access within their units (not locked in rooms, except for roll calls) and access to central activity provisions was managed to ensure time out of units, despite Covid-19. Dining arrangements shifted from dining rooms to in-room meals for social distancing. While the gym and exercise facilities were largely available, arts and crafts, cinema, cultural kitchen, and hair salon were closed for much of the year due to social distancing. Education continued throughout the year, with a notable improvement in attendance by 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, showers | 0 | 1 | |
| Equality | 0 | 0 | |
| Escorts | 0 | 0 | |
| Finance including detainees’ Centre accounts | 0 | 0 | |
| Food and kitchens | 0 | 1 | |
| Health including physical, mental, social care | 3 | 7 | |
| Issues relating to detainees’ immigration case, including access to legal advice | 0 | 11 | |
| Letters, faxes, visits, phones, internet access | 0 | 0 | |
| Other | 1 | 0 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 2 | 0 | |
| Property within Centre | 0 | 2 | |
| Purposeful activity including education, paid work, training, library, other activities | 0 | 1 | |
| Staff/detainee conduct, including bullying | 1 | 4 | |
| Use of force, removal from association | 0 | 0 |
Recommendations (7)
Ministry of Justice: 1
Home Office: 3
Governor / Director: 2
NHS / Healthcare Provider: 1
2 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Vulnerable adults are still being detained despite there being a pilot underway to explore an enhanced pre-detention screening tool to help facilitate the disclosure of vulnerability. The Board recommends that a clear evaluation of this pilot is published to ensure that the measures necessary for the safeguarding of vulnerable individuals are in place.
Ministry of Justice
Safety
Recommendation 2
The Board recommends that the systems and procedures in place for processing small boat migrants are more careful and thorough to ensure that those arriving at IRCs do so accompanied by the correct personal information.
Home Office
Safety
Recommendation 3
The Board recommends that upon the release of STHF detainees, their destination addresses are confirmed as a matter of urgency to enable medical records to be forwarded swiftly to their GPs, so allowing access to essential medical care.
Home Office
Healthcare
Recommendation 4
The Board recommends that, subject to the agreement of the complainant, the DES Complaints Team ensure all agencies fulfil their obligation to share complaints and their outcomes with the Board so that the Board can monitor the rigour of the investigation, and the timeliness and fairness of outcomes for detainees. The Board also recommends that all complaint resolutions are automatically returned to the Centre management for their review.
Home Office
Complaints
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board recommends that the Centre ensures the induction process is fully understood by detainees, particularly those detained under STHF rules, and that their expectations about the length of their detention will be clearly explained to them in a language they understand. The Board repeats its 2019 annual report recommendation that an induction video for IRC detainees is introduced with a video soundtrack in the languages of the major nationalities encountered in the Centre and that this should be played to STHF detainees on arrival.
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 6
The Board recommends that the Centre should maintain its vigilance in the identification of vulnerable persons and minors.
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 7
The Board recommends that NHS England maintains the excellent staffing levels and services of the last year.
NHS / Healthcare Provider
Healthcare