Prison
Cat B/C local
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Thameside
IMB Annual Report 2020 · Published 22 October 2020
HMP Thameside, a Category B/C local prison, faced challenges including high population density and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic during the reporting year ending June 2020. The Board highlighted excellent staff cooperation in controlling the virus and positive aspects like strong faith support and a good library. However, significant concerns remain regarding the inhumane regime of 23-hour cell confinement, the lengthy waits for mental health transfers, recurring issues with facilities and property management, high levels of self-harm and everyday violence, and issues with staff complaints and engagement with educational activities.
Positive Findings
The Board found that the prison does broadly effective work to maintain safety for prisoners, despite complex needs. Effective arrangements were made to control the COVID-19 pandemic, with strong cooperation between healthcare and prison managers, and the Board applauds staff for their committed efforts. Faith and pastoral support remained strong, and free daily telephone time during lockdown was welcomed. Healthcare performance stabilised, and planning for hospital escorts improved. The prison offers a range of programmes, an excellent library, and the Families First team stands out. The Government's initiative to ensure released prisoners had accommodation during the pandemic was welcome. Levels of serious violence declined, and the safer custody team showed impressive care. Initiatives like the creation of a lifers wing were positive, and the chaplaincy team provided excellent work. The prison also demonstrated creditable initiatives like electric food boxes for fasting prisoners during Ramadan, unique to Thameside.
Key Concerns
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Many prisoners are still facing excessive hours locked in their cells, many for 23 hours a day. This inflicts mental and physical damage.
Mental Health
Repeated
The wait for a secure outside hospital bed for severely mentally ill prisoners held in HMP Thameside continues to be a serious inhumanity.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
The slow pace of relaxing the prison regime set by HMPPS as the COVID-19 crisis eases.
Safety
An increase through the summer months of 2020 in incidents of violence, self-harm and use of force.
Other
Repeated
A casual attitude towards prisoner property.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Repeated gym cancellations.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Endemic facilities failures, including the in-cell CMS and serially broken lifts, and the inadequacy of the virtual campus system.
Complaints/Property
Difficulties in getting prompt and reliable responses from prison managers when raising concerns on behalf of prisoners.
Safety
Investigations into prisoner allegations against staff require an overhaul, due to unreasonable length of time and failure to reach meaningful conclusions.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Prisoners continue to be unfairly affected by facilities management breakdowns and by staff not following mandated process (e.g., completing cell clearance forms).
Staffing
Repeated
The number of prisoner complaints about staff attitudes and bullying remain too high.
Complaints/Property
Serious concerns about the prison’s recording of complaints.
Safety
Repeated
Frustration in the Board's ability to access cell call bell records to verify prisoner complaints about answering cell bells.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Unable to give a positive judgement on the application and benefits of the Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) model.
Healthcare
Repeated
Concerns over the quality of daily monitoring interactions by nursing staff with prisoners in the CSU, and their training.
Mental Health
Repeated
The inpatient unit is almost always full, frequently with mentally ill patients not best treated in a prison environment, leading to bed-blocking.
Education/Purposeful Activity
The education provider made minimal effort to enable learners to progress during lockdown, including for distance learning courses.
Substance Misuse
Repeated
Drugs continue to find their way into cells, promoting increased violence, bullying and debt.
Safety
Repeated
Lack of a more targeted understanding of the triggers to self-harm.
Resettlement/Release
Chronic lack of suitable accommodation in the community for those needing to be housed, and difficulty in securing jobs.
Other
PPO highlighted the unjustifiable use of restraints on an elderly man receiving end-of-life care, and the inhumane treatment of the family of a terminally ill prisoner.
Safety
Repeated
Levels of self-harm have followed a worrying upward trajectory through the reporting year.
Safety
Levels of 'everyday' incidents of violence affecting the life of prisoners and staff remain too high.
Safety
The Board is hindered in its ability to monitor the quality of CSIP interventions by the lack of access to P-NOMIS records with the required IT equipment.
Other
Repeated
Lack of attendance at adjudication hearings by reporting officers and inadequate or non-existent written evidence, compounded by staff failure to use BWCs and broken video-playback facilities.
Staffing
Continuing loss of experienced custodial staff and a staffing shortfall of around 20 at year-end.
Complaints/Property
Repeated
The handling of complaints by the prison too often gives the impression of a ‘paper exercise’, with insufficient interest and respect for prisoner concerns.
Healthcare
Repeated
Non-attendance at healthcare appointments remains stubbornly high.
Overcrowding
Repeated
Lack of single cells for life-sentenced and IPP prisoners, leading some to share with remand or much shorter-sentenced prisoners, which is inhumane.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The Board observed a continuing loss of experienced custodial staff, with a shortfall of around 20 at year-end, attributed by the prison to uncompetitive salaries. The average age of staff has reduced, reflecting this loss of experience. While many staff-prisoner relationships are positive, there were 191 complaints about staff attitudes and bullying, a category that remains the highest received by the Board. Failures by staff to consistently use Body Worn Cameras (BWCs) and to follow mandated procedures, such as completing cell clearance forms, were also noted as issues affecting fairness and monitoring.
Healthcare
Healthcare services faced high demands, but the provider effectively stabilised performance and staffing levels, rising to the challenges of COVID-19 through strong collaboration with prison managers, and improving hospital escort planning. However, the Board remains concerned about the stubbornly high level of non-attendance at appointments and the quality of daily monitoring interactions by nursing staff with vulnerable prisoners in the Care and Separation Unit. The inpatient unit is almost always full, predominantly with mentally ill patients unsuited to a prison environment, leading to bed-blocking and inhumane waits for transfer to appropriate secure hospitals. GP waiting times were typically 10-14 days, and non-urgent dental appointments 12 days or less.
Regime & Daily Life
The Board expressed significant concern that HMPPS's continuing regime kept most prisoners locked in their cells for 23 hours a day during and after lockdown, deeming it inhumane and detrimental to mental and physical health. This reduced acceptance of restrictions was linked to an increase in violence, self-harm, and use of force during the summer of 2020. The prison's normal regime comprised 5.5 hours out of cell, but gym sessions frequently faced short-notice cancellations due to staff redeployment, which the Board considered unfair and unacceptable. The slow pace of relaxing the regime and the lack of flexibility given to the Director were highlighted as key issues.
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 | |
| Activities (including work and education) | 16 | 23 | |
| Discipline (including adjudications and segregation) | 26 | 21 | |
| Discrimination | 6 | 8 | |
| Families (including children) | 3 | 1 | |
| Food | 9 | 10 | |
| Healthcare | 38 | 68 | |
| Money | 8 | 4 | |
| Other | 36 | 32 | |
| Property | 47 | 45 | |
| Security | 11 | 9 | |
| Staff (including bullying and attitudes) | 39 | 49 | |
| Total | 294 | 320 | |
| Visits | 10 | 12 |
Recommendations (11)
Ministry of Justice: 3
HMPPS: 2
Governor / Director: 6
7 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
The minister and HMPPS are urged to speed up the return of increased out of cell time, as many prisoners are still facing excessive hours locked in their cells, which inflicts mental and physical damage.
Ministry of Justice
Regime
Recommendation 2
The Board urges that the welcome Government initiative to ensure that released prisoners have accommodation to go to during the COVID-19 crisis will be continued beyond the current national health emergency.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 3
Repeated
The wait for a secure outside hospital bed for severely mentally ill prisoners held in HMP Thameside continues to be a serious inhumanity which requires greater government priority.
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Recommendation 4
Repeated
The Board notes with concern the slow pace of relaxing the prison regime set by HMPPS as the COVID-19 crisis eases. While appreciating the need for caution, there is an important balance to be found with bringing a return to humane conditions (see section 6.5).
HMPPS
Regime
Recommendation 5
A more flexible approach, such as is being adopted in the wider community, which recognises local conditions and gives greater empowerment to Directors/Governors, would be welcome in allowing prisoners more out of cell time for exercise and meaningful activities.
HMPPS
Regime
Recommendation 6
Repeated
The Director should address the casual attitude towards prisoner property and ensure staff consistently apply correct procedures for property collection and transfer.
Governor / Director
Treatment
Recommendation 7
Repeated
The Director should address the repeated gym cancellations and ensure prisoners have consistent access to gym facilities.
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 8
Repeated
The Director should address endemic facilities failures, including the unreliability and slow repair of the in-cell CMS, serially broken lifts, and the inadequate virtual campus system.
Governor / Director
Estate
Recommendation 9
The Director should ensure prompt and reliable responses from prison managers when the Board raises concerns on behalf of prisoners.
Governor / Director
Complaints
Recommendation 10
The Director should overhaul investigations into prisoner allegations against staff, ensuring they are timely, reach meaningful conclusions, and provide valid responses to prisoners.
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 11
Repeated
The Board would like to see more targeted understanding of the triggers to self-harm.
Governor / Director
Safety
Other IMB Reports for Thameside
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.