Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Lancaster Farms
IMB Annual Report 2020 · Published 3 November 2020
HMP Lancaster Farms is largely well-managed, but the Board highlights several areas of concern. Key issues include rising self-harm and violent incidents, inadequate facilities and activities for segregated prisoners, and a shortage of purposeful activity places. While some improvements in healthcare and education were noted, the Board remains concerned about property transfers, accommodation standards, and resettlement provisions.
Positive Findings
The Board observed a decline in the frequency of prisoners arriving without required medication and a decrease in the use of the First Night Unit for overspill disruptive prisoners. There was a welcome decline in the availability of illicit substances, and a families and significant others strategy was formulated. Improvements in healthcare included new sexual health clinics and speedier reception reviews. In education, punctuality improved, and a new quality assurance model was introduced. The prison was accredited as a City & Guilds centre, increasing work opportunities to seven days a week in some areas, and an employment hub was established.
Key Concerns
Mental Health
Urgent consideration of the increasing number of incidents of self-harm by prisoners, and the very large numbers of self-harm incidents associated with a small number of individuals facing mental health difficulties, is required.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Prisoners held in the care and separation unit (CSU) are, we understand, expected to undertake all activities other than those directly affected by being held in isolation with no association time. Yet, access to any form of work or education is extremely limited and the exercise yards are so bleak and ill-equipped that access to exercise is negligible.
Equality/Diversity
Despite other efforts to accommodate prisoners with reduced mobility, a shortage of wheelchairs unfairly affects this sub-group, by limiting access to a range of activities.
Safety
A recently introduced policy has removed ‘individual isolator’ status from any prisoner seeking to be isolated without being willing or able to reveal information about the perceived threat to his safety.
Safety
The policy of allowing these prisoners to be accommodated in close proximity to vulnerable and disruptive prisoners from the CSU or other wings raises doubts about the humane treatment of prisoners during their first night in prison.
Other
Continued difficulties associated with the transfer of prisoners’ property between establishments, the loss of property and in some cases lengthy periods at the prison before the arrival of property all give rise to questions of humane treatment of those in prison.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The continued use of double cells, with unscreened toilets, to accommodate prisoners is, in the view of the Board, clearly inconsistent with the principle of humane treatment of prisoners.
Complaints/Property
During the reporting year, a range of operational difficulties led to a marked deterioration in the timeliness of complaints handling.
Safety
Repeated
The number of reported violent incidents has (again) increased significantly this year, raising serious concerns about the trend towards the establishment being a less safe environment for prisoners.
Mental Health
The number of Listeners had fallen to just two at the end of the reporting year, so prisoners do not always have access to this important form of support. Technical and security-related issues have resulted in prisoners having little or no access to Samaritans telephones during the evenings and at night for much of the year.
Education/Purposeful Activity
There should be increased provision for educational courses beyond levels 1 and 2.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The Board is concerned that, overall, there are not enough work places, largely because of budget constraints.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Release on temporary licence (ROTL) is rarely, if ever, used, despite the designation of the establishment as a resettlement prison.
Resettlement/Release
Information and communications technology (ICT) provision should be enhanced to support assistance with ICT-based applications for housing benefit and undertaking job searches.
Healthcare
Certain cases have illustrated difficulties of working with external agencies for the support and potential release of those with palliative care needs. The Board has serious concerns regarding the provision of palliative care within this prison, even when the prisoner has been offered (and declined) an option to move to another establishment.
Healthcare
The Board would welcome additional resources to ensure that the outcomes of social care assessments are addressed.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
The Board notes the continued issues regarding cover arrangements for education staff who are absent due to sickness, and continues to observe allocation delays, prisoners sent back to their cells, and class cancellations.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The number of trained Listeners fell to just two, limiting prisoner access to this support. Issues with staff availability hindered the key worker programme, suggesting insufficient staffing levels. Continued problems with cover for absent education staff and difficulties recruiting a bricklaying tutor impacted purposeful activity, though agency staff were increasingly used to cover absences.
Healthcare
Working relationships in healthcare remained good, with continued improvements and new sexual health/GUM clinics and telehealth initiatives. GP waiting times were less than two weeks, but dental appointments saw some delays. Mental health teams faced increasing demand, and there was a shortage of wheelchairs affecting access to the health centre. Concerns were raised about the lack of social care staff and the provision of palliative care, though no flu or norovirus cases were recorded.
Regime & Daily Life
Prisoners in the Care and Separation Unit (CSU) had extremely limited access to work or education, and the exercise yards were bleak and ill-equipped. The policy of accommodating vulnerable and disruptive prisoners in the First Night Unit alongside new arrivals raised concerns. The continued use of double cells with unscreened toilets was deemed inconsistent with humane treatment. While prisoners could dine out of cells for lunch and evening meals, early dinner service and late breakfast distribution could lead to excessive gaps between meals.
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 | 4 | 3 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 8 | 5 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions | 5 | 5 | — |
| Equality | 8 | 3 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 0 | 0 | |
| Food and kitchens | 3 | 0 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 24 | 30 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 16 | 14 | |
| Miscellaneous | 26 | 14 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 41 | 53 | |
| Property within this establishment | 4 | 12 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 6 | 9 | |
| Sentence management including home detention curfew, ROTL, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 28 | 27 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 10 | 18 | |
| Transfers | 32 | 24 |
Recommendations (24)
Ministry of Justice: 2
HMPPS: 6
Governor / Director: 16
7 repeated
Recommendation 1
Urgent consideration of the increasing number of incidents of self-harm by prisoners, and the very large numbers of self-harm incidents associated with a small number of individuals facing mental health difficulties, is required (see paragraph 4.9).
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Recommendation 2
The Board believes that the monitoring of resettlement would be enhanced by having access to data, and cooperation from all the agencies with resettlement responsibilities, both inside the prison and in the community (see paragraph 11.1).
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 3
The Board requests that the Prison Service undertakes a comprehensive review of the processes associated with arranging transfers between establishments (see paragraph 6.4).
HMPPS
Regime
Recommendation 4
Repeated
The loss of property, and the delayed transfer of property, when prisoners are transferred between establishments continues to be a significant issue in the fair and humane treatment of prisoners (see paragraph 7.7).
HMPPS
Other
Recommendation 5
Repeated
The Board continues to regard the conversion of single cells into double cells to be inappropriate and is disappointed to note that the planned installation of toilet screening in these cells did not take place in this reporting period (see paragraph 7.4).
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 6
The Board is concerned that, overall, there are not enough work places, largely because of budget constraints (see paragraph 10.9).
HMPPS
Purposeful Activity
Recommendation 7
Repeated
The Board remains disappointed that constraints placed upon the Governor result in ROTL is rarely used, despite the designation of the establishment as a resettlement prison (see paragraph 11.5).
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 8
ICT provision should be available in all learning areas (see paragraph 9.5) and the Board regrets the relative lack of assistance with ICT-based applications for housing benefit and undertaking job searches (see paragraph 11.7).
HMPPS
Education
Recommendation 9
Repeated
The number of reported violent incidents has (again) increased significantly this year, raising serious concerns about the trend towards the establishment being a less safe environment for prisoners (see paragraph 4.1).
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 10
Immediate action is required to reverse the decline in the number of trained Listeners to just two, as prisoners have not had sufficient access to this important form of support (see paragraph 4.4).
Governor / Director
Mental Health
Recommendation 11
Similarly, access to telephone calls to the Samaritans at night has been absent for much of the year, and a solution should be implemented with urgency (see paragraph 4.4).
Governor / Director
Mental Health
Recommendation 12
The Board requests that the current policy of reclassifying as a ‘refuser’ any individual isolating prisoner who will not identify the source of threats made against him should be urgently reviewed (see paragraph 4.7).
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 13
Repeated
The Board remains disappointed that body-worn cameras (BWCs) are not extensively and consistently worn by officers (see paragraph 4.8).
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 14
The Board would like to see greater consistency in the collection and monitoring of data on equality and diversity issues and action planning, alongside higher levels of attendance at, and improved consistency of timetabling of, equality action team (EAT) meetings (see paragraph 5.1).
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 15
Discrimination incident report forms (DIRFs) should always be available on the residential wings (see paragraph 5.6).
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 16
Repeated
The Board remains concerned by the bleak and untidy condition of the exercise yards attached to the CSU (see paragraph 6.2) and notes that the lack of in-cell work activity or education within the CSU creates boredom and frustration (see paragraphs 6.5 and 9.11).
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 17
The Board regrets the use of the FNU to accommodate, alongside those spending their first night in prison, prisoners who, if the CSU had not been full, would be held within the latter unit (see paragraph 6.7).
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 18
The Board is also concerned that the FNU is used to accommodate a range of prisoners when other suitable accommodation has not been found, including some on assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) documents, and with restricted access to regular exercise for extended periods (see paragraph 4.6).
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 19
The timing of the distribution of breakfasts and the serving of dinner may result in excessive periods between meals (see paragraph 7.2).
Governor / Director
Food
Recommendation 20
There was a significant increase, in the second half of the year, in the number of complaints for which a response is overdue. This raises serious concerns regarding the allocation of resources to this activity (see paragraph 7.8).
Governor / Director
Complaints
Recommendation 21
There is a lack of wheelchairs to support prisoners with reduced mobility accessing health care and other amenities. Certain cases have illustrated difficulties of working with external agencies for the support and potential release of those with palliative care needs (see paragraphs 8.5 and 8.9).
Governor / Director
Healthcare
Recommendation 22
The Board would welcome additional resources to ensure that the outcomes of social care assessments are addressed (see paragraph 8.7).
Governor / Director
Healthcare
Recommendation 23
Repeated
The Board notes the continued issues regarding cover arrangements for education staff who are absent due to sickness (see paragraph 9.2), and continues to observe allocation delays, prisoners sent back to their cells, and class cancellations (see paragraph 9.3).
Governor / Director
Education
Recommendation 24
There should be increased provision for educational courses beyond levels 1 and 2 (see paragraph 9.9).
Governor / Director
Education
Other IMB Reports for Lancaster Farms
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.