Prison
Cat D
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
North Sea Camp
IMB Annual Report 2020 · Published 10 July 2020
HMP North Sea Camp is an open Category D prison noted for its rehabilitative culture and generally humane treatment of residents. The Board commends improvements in healthcare and positive staff-resident relationships, alongside community engagement. However, significant concerns remain regarding delays in Offender Management paperwork, inadequate accommodation conditions (including continued use of dormitories), and a lack of specific facilities for end-of-life and dementia care for the prison's increasing elderly population. These issues, alongside property transfer problems and laundry machinery breakdowns, require urgent attention and capital investment.
Positive Findings
The IMB commends HMP North Sea Camp for providing humane and just treatment, good release programmes, and performing well in most areas. The rehabilitative culture, low violence levels, proactive Safer Community Team, and community support initiatives are positive. Healthcare provision has significantly improved, especially dental services and reduced waiting times, and mental health support is excellent. The prison is also praised for its efforts in equality, family provision, high-standard catering, and dedicated support for residents with disabilities, despite site limitations.
Key Concerns
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Due to excessive workloads especially in metropolitan areas, Offender Managers (OM) are often late in completing their part of the Offender Assessment System (OASys) which identifies risk when this needs updating. There are also delays caused by OMs with other necessary paperwork required for ROTL leading to residents becoming anxious especially if they have been tasked by the Parole Board with undertaking a certain number of ROTL and Resettlement Overnight Releases (ROR) before their next Parole Board hearing... This was a problem also mentioned in last year’s report.
Resettlement/Release
Residents who use wheelchairs can experience difficulties travelling to and getting overnight accommodation at Approved Premises (APs) when going on Resettlement Overnight Release (ROR), which can delay their ROTL programme and have a significant delaying effect on their sentence plan and parole board hearings.
Resettlement/Release
Unfortunately, some residents experienced problems receiving their wages for paid work and some had to have wages sent on to them once they had left the prison. This issue was a combination of employers not understanding how to use the emergency tax code and also delays at shared services where all paid employment wages are sent for deduction of victim surcharge before wages are sent on to the prison for payment into residents’ accounts.
Healthcare
Currently, there is no facility within HMP North Sea Camp where residents can be suitably cared for during an end of life period; there are no on-site residential healthcare facilities. This means that very poorly residents stay on the units within the prison, surrounded by the other residents and the usual activities of everyday prison life. This has a very upsetting effect on those residents living alongside them during this period.
Mental Health
One of the medical conditions which is known to increasingly affect the elderly is dementia and there are residents in the prison who have been diagnosed with dementia. This causes the prison and healthcare staff particular problems, as there is currently no agreed national policy or resource package to ensure that these residents are appropriately cared for.
Other
Repeated
Residents who have excessive amounts of property are sometimes told to leave it behind at their previous establishment by the drivers of the contracted transport provider some of whom insist on sticking to the rules regarding property transfer. If excess property is left at the sending prison to be sent on at a later date it often does not arrive in a timely manner or at all. The IMB receives a considerable number of applications regarding property not arriving from other establishments which the IMB does attempt to chase. Some residents never get their property delivered and have had to claim compensation. Problems with property were mentioned in last year’s report.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Unfortunately, over the reporting year the IMB has had its attention drawn to out of service machinery on a regular basis. In last year’s Annual Report, the IMB recommended that as resident numbers were once again close to full complement investment on the laundry should be a priority for the prison. Sadly, neither the Prison Service nor AMEY, the maintenance contractor, seem to be able to address this.
Resettlement/Release
Some residents would have had easier journeys home or to Approved Premises by bus rather than rail. However, warrants for bus services could not be issued at HMP North Sea Camp.
Estate/Conditions
All accommodation has been in service for several decades and in many cases requires more than the periodic repairs which the prison undertakes.
Estate/Conditions
The size of all double rooms in Harrison and Llewellyn accommodation units are not adequate in that it is often impossible to put a chair or table let alone two of each into a room. The cramped accommodation means that the accommodation listed does not comply with the Prison Service Instruction (PSI).
Overcrowding
Repeated
Although there are plans to remove the dormitories, at the time of the report’s completion, dormitories were still in regular use at HMP North Sea Camp. The dormitories are mainly used for new arrivals and residents are allocated to a room once one becomes available. In the main this is done speedily but where there is a slow turnover of residents there may be a longer stay in the dormitories. When most residents have come from single cell accommodation (often modern) this can cause undue anxiety.
Other
There have been periodic changes to the pay regime at HMP North Sea Camp. While some of these have been necessary to meet national guidelines the changes always cause a significant level of angst for the residents who worry about getting less pay. Residents have found it difficult to follow the rationale behind the changes which did not help the situation.
Staffing
Repeated
In previous years the IMB has reported on the fact that some staff in the Offender Management Unit (OMU) at HMP North Sea Camp have not spoken to residents politely. After an improvement, residents complained that standards had slipped and in November 2019 a series of forums with residents were held so that the Head of OMU could understand what was going wrong. After the forums the Head of OMU and the Deputy Governor made changes to address the residents’ concerns which have led to a marked improvement in how staff deal with residents.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staff at North Sea Camp are generally commended for creating a welcoming and integrated environment, and for positive, supportive relationships with residents. Improvements in staff conduct within the Offender Management Unit (OMU) were noted following earlier complaints. New senior nursing posts have significantly enhanced healthcare service provision and staff supervision.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision at HMP North Sea Camp is largely positive, with significant improvements in dental care and reduced waiting times for other services. The mental health team is efficient, benefiting from new senior nursing appointments. However, a major concern is the increasing number of elderly residents with complex medical needs, highlighting a critical lack of on-site end-of-life care facilities and a national policy for dementia care within prisons.
Regime & Daily Life
HMP North Sea Camp operates an effective rehabilitative culture, fostering a polite and calm atmosphere where residents have significant time out of cell to access facilities. While the regime is generally well-managed, new arrivals often experience anxiety regarding the continued use of dormitory accommodation, though plans are in place to reduce this.
Recommendations (12)
HMPPS: 10
Governor / Director: 2
5 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Ensure Offender Managers get paperwork back to the prison in a timely fashion.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
Address the fact that residents who use wheelchairs find it extremely difficult to obtain accommodation at Approved Premises.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 3
Reduce delays in processing wages by shared services.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 4
Address the need for an end of life care suite at HMP North Sea Camp.
HMPPS
Healthcare
Recommendation 5
Develop an agreed national policy with regards to caring for residents with dementia and make provision to increase a prison budget if that prison needs to care for residents with dementia.
HMPPS
Mental Health
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Address the fact that residents still have problems moving their property from one prison to another.
HMPPS
Other
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Improve the laundry at HMP North Sea Camp so that it is fit for purpose.
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 8
Ensure that warrants for a variety of transport methods can be issued.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 9
Upgrade the accommodation blocks.
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 10
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Remove dormitory accommodation totally and reduce the double rooms in Harrison and Llewellin to single rooms.
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 11
Ensure that any future wages changes are fully understood by all residents before implementation.
Governor / Director
Other
Recommendation 12
Repeated
Prev. addressed
Ensure that the improvements within the OMU are sustained.
Governor / Director
Staffing
Other IMB Reports for North Sea Camp
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
22 May 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 4
Respect: 3
Activity: 3
Release: 3
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.