Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Lindholme
IMB Annual Report 2020 · Published 29 June 2020
HMP Lindholme is a Category C training prison with an operational capacity of 1,010. The report highlights improvements in security, segregation management, and some aspects of healthcare, including reduced GP waiting times. Key concerns persist regarding organised crime's impact on safety, substance misuse, delayed complaint responses, and the high number of IPP prisoners. Staffing, particularly for key worker roles and healthcare provision, continues to be an area requiring significant development.
Positive Findings
The IMB notes improvements in security measures to reduce illegal items, increased staffing for the key worker system, and better treatment for older prisoners with designated accommodation. The segregation unit population and lengthy stays have been reduced, and adjudication paperwork processes have improved. Property transfer procedures are now positively managed by custody managers. In healthcare, a new consultant psychiatrist has been appointed, an advanced nurse practitioner post is filled, and GP waiting times have significantly improved. Prescriptions of abusable gabapentinoids were reduced by 64%, and education course success rates remain high.
Key Concerns
Complaints/Property
The length of time it takes to respond to prisoners’ complaints and the lack of a holding response.
Safety
Repeated
The proportion of prisoners having links to organised crime (25% of the population) and the consequent negative impact that this can have on the safety of prisoners.
Other
Repeated
The transfer of property from wing to wing or to the segregation unit, and from other prisons, continues to be a source of aggravation to prisoners, with resultant poor behaviour.
Substance Misuse
Repeated
Substance misuse and the ease with which illegal substances are available continue to remain a significant problem.
Healthcare
Repeated
The number of non-attendances at prison and external hospital appointments are not showing any improvement.
Food/Catering
Repeated
The reliability of kitchen equipment, and about the quantity and lack of variety of the food served, caused by a very low per capita monetary allowance.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The high number (59) of prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPP) at the prison, which this Board considers to be inhumane due to the indeterminate nature of the sentence.
Staffing
Inadequate staffing levels of the healthcare provider are not consistently maintained as per contract.
Staffing
Issues surrounding the recruitment and retention of all staff, but particularly operational personnel.
Staffing
Repeated
The effectiveness of key worker duties is being undermined by officers being reallocated to other duties, preventing ring-fencing of allocated time.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing levels increased during the reporting year, supporting the introduction of the key worker system which showed significant improvements by the end of the year after a slow start. However, the efficacy of the key worker role is hampered by officers being reallocated to other duties. Healthcare staffing faced issues with 12 out of 60 posts vacant, impacting primary care performance. The Board also recommended proactively exploring issues around recruitment and retention for all staff.
Healthcare
Care UK continues as the healthcare provider, with a well-functioning operational group. GP care is supplemented by an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, improving waiting times to two weeks. However, podiatry waiting times worsened to 23 weeks, and physiotherapy is nine weeks. The 'did not attend' rate for GP appointments increased to 9.5%, and 13 hospital escorts were cancelled in one month. Psychoactive substance use remains a major challenge, although prescriptions for abusable gabapentinoids were significantly reduced.
Regime & Daily Life
HMP Lindholme operates as a training prison, offering good work, vocational training, and educational opportunities with high success rates. The gym is well-utilised, operating extended hours. However, the effectiveness of the new key worker support system, intended to enhance engagement with the regime, is undermined by officers being frequently redeployed to other duties, preventing allocated time from being ring-fenced.
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 | 38 | 16 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 4 | 1 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives and earned privileges, sanctions | 18 | 18 | — |
| Equality | 7 | 5 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 15 | 2 | |
| Food and kitchens | 5 | 5 | — |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 52 | 30 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 21 | 5 | |
| Miscellaneous | 0 | 0 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 26 | 26 | — |
| Property within this establishment | 22 | 36 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 10 | 13 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 47 | 23 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 31 | 19 | |
| Transfers | 20 | 35 |
Recommendations (7)
Ministry of Justice: 1
HMPPS: 3
Governor / Director: 3
4 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
There continues to be a high number of IPP prisoners in HMP Lindholme and, presumably, other establishments. The indeterminate nature of this sentence can appear to be, effectively, a whole-of-life sentence, which this Board considers to be inhumane (see section 11). Will the minister seek to have an urgent review, to seek ways of significantly reducing these numbers quickly?
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
Will the Prison Service consider what measures are needed to ensure that the staffing levels of the healthcare provider are maintained as per contract (see section 8)?
HMPPS
Healthcare
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Will the Prison Service examine measures to improve the reliability of kitchen equipment at HMP Lindholme, and to seek an uplift in the monetary allowance for food per prisoner (see section 7)?
HMPPS
Food
Recommendation 4
Will the Prison Service proactively explore issues surrounding the recruitment and retention of all staff, but particularly operational personnel
HMPPS
Staffing
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Will the Governor continue to ensure that the effectiveness of the procedures for the transfer of property when a prisoner is moved between wings or from the wings to the segregation unit is improved (see sections 7, D)?
Governor / Director
Other
Recommendation 6
Will the Governor ensure that prisoners’ complaints are dealt with in a timely manner and that, at the very least, a holding response is given to every complaint when it is received (see Survey Questionnaire 9b)?
Governor / Director
Complaints
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Will the governor continue to seek to ring-fence key worker duties, to enhance further the effectiveness of the role?
Governor / Director
Staffing
Other IMB Reports for Lindholme
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
17 Jul 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 2
Respect: 3
Activity: 1
Release: 1
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.