Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Wayland
IMB Annual Report 2020 · Published 28 January 2021
HMP Wayland experienced a challenging year, marked by reduced violence but ongoing concerns regarding drug entry and a lack of national strategy for vulnerable self-isolating prisoners. Staffing levels were significantly impacted by the pandemic, hindering regime delivery and essential training. The prison's aging infrastructure and the delay in critical projects like a new segregation unit further compound difficulties in providing a rehabilitative and humane environment, though efforts by the Governor to improve conditions were noted.
Positive Findings
HMP Wayland saw a welcome reduction in violent incidents (prisoner-on-prisoner and on staff) during the reporting year. The Board commended the prison's management and staff for consistent efforts in humane treatment and for successful initiatives like the first night unit and the "decency" programme. Positive developments included a significant reduction in outstanding OASys assessments, improvements in cleanliness, and strong performance by catering and chaplaincy teams, particularly during lockdown. Dental services also showed commendable improvement in waiting times.
Key Concerns
Substance Misuse
The entry of drugs into the prison, however, still causes the Board great concern. We are aware that a tremendous amount of effort is put into stopping drugs entering the prison but the flow seems incessant.
Safety
Repeated
The Board also continue to have concerns for prisoners who isolate themselves from the rest of the regime. For a multitude of reasons, these are generally prisoners who have unsuccessfully applied for Rule 45 to be segregated for their own protection... there is no local provision for the humane management of such prisoners... The Board awaits with interest, but no great confidence, the promised national strategy to respond to this national problem.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Finally, we must once again register the Board’s disappointment with the delay to the agreed provision of the replacement segregation/care and separation/reintegration unit. The need for this has been in every Board annual report for the last six years. This year, we received information that encouraged us to think that we might have no need to raise the issue, but like a broken record, here we are again!
Estate/Conditions
The Board’s view that Wayland’s accommodation provision is still below what is to be expected of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) as an organisation that claims to respect prisoners. The Board would welcome an assessment of the funding required to bring all cells up to the acceptable HMPPS standard, to demonstrate a clear underlining of the Service’s commitment to treating prisoners with respect
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Thirdly, the Board remains concerned at the plight of prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPP). Many do not receive family visits and, effectively, many are totally institutionalised... We consider that it is time for a further national review of this category of prisoner, with a view to reviewing the resources needed to progress their release.
Other
Repeated
The number of Board applications about property complaints was, as a proportion of the total, at the same level this year as last... the Board believes that, with an estimated annual cost to the Service, in terms of litigation, compensation, staff time and opportunity costs, somewhat significantly north of £5 million, insufficient emphasis is being placed on curing this running sore urgently.
Staffing
The Board has serious doubts that enough is being done, but recognises that the solution is out of the Governor’s hands. In the past year, Wayland’s frontline staff have seen a churn of some 12%. This has meant that a significant fraction of the staff in daily contact with prisoners is expected to deal with prisoners’ concerns with only the minimum of their initial training and early experience to guide them... the absolutely crucial personal and professional development training... is absent
Healthcare
Repeated
The Board has obtained analyses of healthcare appointment DNAs revealing a percentage failure to attend of up to 55% for dentistry and almost 30% for nurse practitioners. These are unacceptable figures and represent a serious waste not only of resources, but also of opportunities not taken to improve prisoners’ health.
Estate/Conditions
The Board’s view, because of the combination of unsuitable buildings and the pressure on accommodation to remain at full capacity, is that there is very little flexibility available to the Governor for the creation of specialist treatment units, such as for the older prisoner. Instead, the buildings impose a virtual ‘one size fits all’ approach, which inhibits the flexible use of space to cater for small-group needs.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
From these results, it appears that fully two-thirds of prisoners felt strongly that Wayland’s IEP scheme was neither fair nor effective. This is a serious issue, showing both a drop in positive responses from previous Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) surveys at Wayland and an increase in negativity.
Complaints/Property
With complaints that need to be responded to by other establishments, the Board has to report that the picture is not so positive. Almost all the applications made to the Board concerning property lost on transfer... include prisoners complaining that they have not had an answer from the sending establishment... the Board must record that in its own investigations it is also often unable to get even a response from another establishment
Board Commentary
Staffing
Frontline staffing levels at Wayland significantly decreased to around 130 staff daily during lockdown, down from 187, due to various factors including COVID-19 shielding, resignations, and transfers. Staff training, vital for developing new officers' skills, has become practically non-existent. The Board noted a 12% staff churn rate and expressed concern that critical personal and professional development training is absent, impacting the humane treatment of prisoners and overall job satisfaction. The key worker scheme, initially showing promise, was largely suspended due to the pandemic.
Healthcare
Monitoring healthcare was challenging due to the Board's exclusion from local healthcare meetings and COVID-19 restrictions. While Care UK took over the contract and key staff remained, the Board raised concerns about low take-up rates for screenings like chlamydia (48%) and hepatitis C (16%). Dental provision improved with a new contractor, reducing waiting times from 26 days to five. However, high DNA rates persist for dentistry (55%), nurse practitioners (28%), and GP appointments (24%), suggesting a serious lack of engagement. The Board also noted a growing number of low-level mental health issues among prisoners, especially since lockdown.
Regime & Daily Life
The COVID-19 lockdown led to the complete cessation of educational and other treatment provisions, with the wholesale removal of staff hindering local efforts. The Board remains concerned about prisoners who self-isolate due to fear, noting some have rarely left their cells for months, exacerbated by the lack of a national strategy and suitable facilities. The prison's aging infrastructure, including units beyond their design life and constant issues with heating, hot water, and ventilation, severely limits the Governor's ability to create specialist treatment units, enforcing a "one size fits all" regime. Additionally, family visits and key worker sessions were largely suspended during the lockdown.
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 | |
| Complaints | 10 | 11 | |
| Equality and diversity | 0 | 0 | |
| Food | 16 | 15 | |
| Healthcare | 20 | 13 | |
| Legal | 16 | 12 | |
| Other | 33 | 23 | |
| Property (including mail) | 83 | 73 | |
| Racial incident reports | 1 | 0 | |
| Release on temporary licence | 1 | 0 | |
| Segregation and incentives | 20 | 26 | |
| Staff conduct (including applications to SM) | 13 | 11 | |
| Total applications | 275 | 240 | |
| Visits | 12 | 13 | |
| Work, training, education | 5 | 5 | — |
Recommendations (10)
HMPPS: 7
Governor / Director: 3
5 repeated
Recommendation 1
The first is the importance of replacing the lost staffing capacity of the Prison Service in recent years, to enable Wayland to put into action the rehabilitative focus that ministerial announcements have clearly supported. Even if every staff member that the Governor should have were actually available, the Board does not believe that they would be sufficient to deliver a true rehabilitative focus to the prison’s efforts (see sections 4.3 and 5.1).
HMPPS
Staffing
Recommendation 2
The second is to consider the Board’s view that Wayland’s accommodation provision is still below what is to be expected of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) as an organisation that claims to respect prisoners. The Board would welcome an assessment of the funding required to bring all cells up to the acceptable HMPPS standard, to demonstrate a clear underlining of the Service’s commitment to treating prisoners with respect (see section 5.2).
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Thirdly, the Board remains concerned at the plight of prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPP). Many do not receive family visits and, effectively, many are totally institutionalised (see section 7.3). We consider that it is time for a further national review of this category of prisoner, with a view to reviewing the resources needed to progress their release.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Property: The number of Board applications about property complaints was, as a proportion of the total, at the same level this year as last. The Board is aware that work is indeed ongoing in the Service to address the issue of lost, mislaid and stolen property. However, the Board believes that, with an estimated annual cost to the Service, in terms of litigation, compensation, staff time and opportunity costs, somewhat significantly north of £5 million, insufficient emphasis is being placed on curing this running sore urgently. The ‘impossible to do yet’ situation must be translated into an ‘it must be done now’ approach (see section 5.9).
HMPPS
Complaints
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Self-isolating prisoners: Since January 2019, the Board has produced a number of detailed reports on the conditions and experiences of ‘self isolators through fear’, but this issue should not be regarded as a Wayland-specific problem. Having raised the issue at prison group directorate level at the beginning of 2019, we were promised that the difficulty was recognised and that there would be a national strategy by that April – that is, April 2019. By the end of this reporting year, there was still no national strategy to address what we are aware of as a hidden national challenge for the Prison Service. The Board hopes that the further deprivations experienced by these prisoners during the COVID-19 lockdown will focus the Service’s mind on the national problem they represent and that the promised national strategy will be delayed no longer (see section 5.3).
HMPPS
Safety
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Segregation unit: We hope that in our next report we shall not have to repeat our views for yet another year, and look forward to an HMPPS guarantee that construction of the new unit will, indeed, be started by May 2021 (see section 5.3).
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 7
Flexible accommodation: The Board’s view, because of the combination of unsuitable buildings and the pressure on accommodation to remain at full capacity, is that there is very little flexibility available to the Governor for the creation of specialist treatment units, such as for the older prisoner. Instead, the buildings impose a virtual ‘one size fits all’ approach, which inhibits the flexible use of space to cater for small-group needs. Although this answer the problem of housing a lot of prisoners, it does little to support a Governor keen to foster a rehabilitative approach for which accommodation flexibility is an important tool. The Board hopes that these concerns can be taken into consideration when decisions are taken about future refurbishment or expansion plans for the prison (see section 5.5).
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 8
Provision of longer beds for the taller prisoner: To accommodate the increasing number of taller prisoners the Board strongly suggests that, for a while, every replacement bed should be of the longer variety, so as to gradually increase the flexibility of accommodation throughout the prison (see section 5.2).
Governor / Director
Estate
Recommendation 9
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Healthcare appointment ‘did not attends’ (DNAs): The Board has obtained analyses of healthcare appointment DNAs revealing a percentage failure to attend of up to 55% for dentistry and almost 30% for nurse practitioners. These are unacceptable figures and represent a serious waste not only of resources, but also of opportunities not taken to improve prisoners’ health. The Board believes that this situation deserves a review of joint healthcare and prison management practices, with the objective of reducing DNAs (see section 6.2).
Governor / Director
Healthcare
Recommendation 10
Mental health: The Board is concerned at the evidence, especially since lockdown, of perhaps low-level, but growing, mental health issues among prisoners, and wonders whether a more holistic and cross-departmental approach to the delivery of support to those experiencing mental health challenges might be worth investigating, alongside the more traditional individualised crisis-management treatment models now in place (see section 6.3).
Governor / Director
Mental Health
Other IMB Reports for Wayland
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
26 Jan 2026
Unannounced
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.