Prison
Cat B
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Doncaster
IMB Annual Report 2025 · Published 5 February 2026
HMP Doncaster was rated the top local prison nationally, demonstrating strong performance in areas like refurbishment and support services. Despite an improved regime and full staffing, significant challenges persist, including increased prisoner violence due to overcrowding, and persistent, prolonged delays in mental health transfers. The IMB highlights critical issues such as national probation staffing deficits, property management concerns, and unanswered cell bells, calling for urgent attention from government and prison management.
Positive Findings
HMP Doncaster was rated the number one local prison nationally, with significant efforts in refurbishment and improved in-cell technology. The IMB commends the management team for maintaining a safe environment and treating prisoners with fairness. Dedicated teams for foreign nationals and chaplaincy, along with a new drug and alcohol recovery specialist, are having a positive impact. Staff-prisoner relationships are generally good, and the safer custody centre has received overwhelmingly positive feedback. The prison has also seen an increase in purposeful activity attendance and strong support for IPP prisoners.
Key Concerns
Mental Health
Repeated
Prolonged delays transferring mentally ill patients to secure hospitals.
Overcrowding
Repeated
The continued high number of prisoners doubled up in single-cell accommodation, undermining efforts to treat prisoners with fairness and humanity.
Safety
Increase in prisoner violence, attributed to severe overcrowding, more out-of-area prisoners, and gang-related issues.
Staffing
Significant backlog in the vetting system causing lengthy delays for new officers and staff.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
High number of prisoners being released with no fixed abode.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The national Probation Service is critically understaffed and poorly managed, leading to inadequate support for individuals pre and post-release and contributing to reoffending.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
The continued high number of cell bells unanswered within the required timeframe.
Other
Internal property issues, including poor record-keeping, unsatisfactory digital property cards, and lost or mislaid items, cause significant frustration for prisoners.
Other
Lengthy delays faced by staff and IMB members when using the Serco remote IT service, particularly for new members.
Board Commentary
Staffing
HMP Doncaster now has a full complement of staff, which has facilitated an improved regime and more positive interactions between staff and prisoners. A dedicated bed-watch team has helped alleviate staff shortages for outside hospital visits, reducing lockdowns. However, 51% of officers have less than three years' experience, which the Board observed can lead to minor infringements being overlooked, though management is implementing a robust training program. The Board also noted national probation staffing deficits impacting prisoner support.
Healthcare
Overall, healthcare is deemed adequate despite negative survey responses and a high number of IMB applications. Mental health services are under significant pressure, leading to referral delays, although a new head of mental health is making a positive impact. A major concern remains the prolonged waits for transfers to secure mental health units, often exceeding statutory guidelines and causing further deterioration for prisoners. Social care is well-staffed, and the substance misuse team actively supports 303 prisoners, including through new recovery workshops and a specialist with lived experience.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime has improved with prisoners typically out of their cells for 6.25 hours daily, thanks to good staffing levels. Unplanned lockdowns are now rare, which is a positive development. However, severe overcrowding, with many prisoners doubled in single cells, continues to undermine fair and humane treatment. There is an emerging issue with the non-enforcement of vaping rules on wings, creating discipline challenges, and the prison is exploring dedicated vaping areas. Purposeful activity attendance has significantly increased, and gym facilities are well-utilised, though some pool tables are in disrepair.
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) | 387 | 374 | |
| Discipline (adjudications, incentives) | 98 | 101 | |
| Discrimination | 18 | 22 | |
| Food | 12 | 14 | |
| General | 211 | 233 | |
| Healthcare | 301 | 334 | |
| Property (lost, damaged, not received) | 268 | 297 | |
| Security (categorisation, release on temp lic) | 87 | 94 | |
| Staff (relations with, attitude of) | 184 | 192 | |
| Visits (family, official, legal) | 65 | 72 | |
| Voluntary return | 23 | 23 | — |
Recommendations (9)
Other: 4
HMPPS: 2
Governor / Director: 3
6 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board remains extremely concerned about the prolonged delays transferring mentally ill patients to secure hospitals. What steps will the Minister take to urgently review and address this issue?
Other
(minister)
Mental Health
Response
The Mental Health Bill (November 24) will provide a new statutory time limit of 28 days for the transfer of patients with a mental health disorder from prison to hospital. The date on transfers and remissions is regularly reviewed and will be used to monitor compliance. An escalation process is in place for any individual cases that breach the timescales and guidance.
Recommendation 2
Repeated
When will the Minister undertake a comprehensive review of prisoners still serving indefinite sentences under the IPP regime, and what actions will be taken to address their situation?
Other
(minister)
IPP
Response
The Government is committed to working with organisations and campaign groups to ensure that the appropriate course of action is taken to support IPP prisoners. The implementation of the IPP Action Plan will ensure that they have robust and effective sentence plans.
Recommendation 3
Given the significant backlog in the vetting system, which is causing lengthy delays for new officers and staff, what immediate steps will the Minister take to review and resolve this issue?
Other
(minister)
Staffing
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board remains concerned about the high number of prisoners being released with no fixed abode? What steps will the Minister take to work with the relevant government departments to develop and implement a coordinated plan to address this serious issue?
Other
(minister)
Resettlement
Response
Commissioned rehabilitative services (CRS) are designed to provide specialist support to individuals under probation supervision. This has recently been extended to include people on remand and those sentenced and released on the same day. HMPPS is currently reviewing the design and will be commissioning these services to ensure that, in future, people leaving custody will have access to a wider range of services to best meet their needs.
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Overcrowding in the prison system continues. Can the Prison Service commit to supporting the recommendations of the Gauke review by prioritising the reduction in the backlog of court cases thereby shortening the time prisoners spend on remand?
HMPPS
Overcrowding
Response
Plans are set out to deliver 14,000 new prison places and create a resilient prison estate, which includes the construction of four new prisons, as well as the expansion and refurbishment of the existing prison estate.
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
In the Board’s view, the Probation Service nationally is critically understaffed and poorly managed, leaving people before and after release without proper support. This creates a ‘revolving door’ of reoffending and rising recidivism. What action will the Prison Service take to fix staffing and management so individuals get the support they need to break this cycle?
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 7
Repeated
The Board continues to be concerned over the number of cell bells unanswered within the timeframe required? Can the Director assure the Board that this remains a priority for the prison?
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 8
Internal property issues remain a concern for the Board and cause great frustration for prisoners. Will the Director commit to making the resolution of this issue a top priority in the coming year?
Governor / Director
Other
Recommendation 9
The Board continues to be frustrated by the lengthy delays faced by staff and IMB members when using the Serco remote IT service, particularly for new members. This issue, common with other third-party providers, could have been resolved more quickly with on-site support. What action will you take to ensure faster, more reliable IT support and prevent these delays, especially for new IMB members?
Governor / Director
Other
Other IMB Reports for Doncaster
2023
Published 17 Jul 2025
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.