Prison
Cat B/C local
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Thameside
IMB Annual Report 2025 · Published 9 October 2025
HMP Thameside, a busy local Category B/C prison, faces significant challenges despite efforts to maintain safety. Key concerns include persistent issues with healthcare provision, delays in mental health transfers, and inadequate resettlement services leading to poor outcomes for prisoners. While there have been improvements in staffing levels and specific unit regimes, the Board remains concerned about the quality of ACCT documentation, inconsistent application of incentives, and late court returns.
Positive Findings
The IMB commends the increased staffing and regime improvements on houseblock wings and specialized units (IPU, CSU, IDTS, EDC). Positive steps have been taken to address CMS issues, and the chaplaincy, E&D, neurodiversity, library, Catch 22, Shannon Trust, and Families First teams continue to provide excellent services. The introduction of EDiC meetings and improved communication with healthcare providers are welcomed, as is the hard work of the gym team and increased time out of cell on reception wings.
Key Concerns
Safety
Repeated
ACCT documentation is inadequate, and there is a poor ratio between overall and proven adjudications.
Safety
The lack of a quality assurance audit for Challenge, Support and Intervention Plans (CSIPs) has been a concern.
Mental Health
Repeated
There is no effective Listener scheme, and the alternative provision (SHOUT) has significant limitations, including accessibility and literacy issues.
Safety
Funding for an effective restorative justice post was discontinued.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Inadequate management results in unfairness, particularly regarding prisoner property handling and inconsistent administration of the incentives policy.
Healthcare
Repeated
Poor administration and management of healthcare complaints and clinic bookings, long waiting times, delays and omissions in medication provision, and concerns regarding safe medication administration.
Healthcare
Repeated
Suboptimal healthcare staffing levels, including an absence of consistent senior leadership, and inconsistent coordination, attendance, and reporting of healthcare meetings.
Mental Health
Repeated
Continued delays for mental health transfers to external facilities, with too many patients transferred beyond the 28-day limit.
Resettlement/Release
Insufficient information and resources for visitors, both on the website and in the visitors’ centre, regarding visits, ID, property hand-ins, parking, and appropriate clothing.
Resettlement/Release
Lack of secure storage for visitor property, despite repeated assurances.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Serious concerns regarding the adequacy of resettlement services for prisoners, especially the probation and pre-release teams.
Other
Delayed or lack of responses from some resettlement agencies to requests for data from the Board.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The lack of probation and community support for all prisoners means that they are more likely to return to prison.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Inadequate probation support for remand prisoners, despite promised investment, and insufficient increase in resettlement resources to match the significant increase in the remand population.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Inaccurate data on BCS2s and BCS3s was continuously logged on the pre-release team’s systems for 11 months without investigation, and a lack of quality assurance processes for the pre-release team's work.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The processes followed by the resettlement team to support prisoners in finding accommodation on release remain inadequate, resulting in too many men leaving the prison homeless.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Lack of coordination and effective oversight of the various agencies providing resettlement services, coupled with continuing recruitment issues, prevents prisoners from getting the resettlement support they need.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Court vans regularly arriving at the prison after the lock-out time of 8.00 pm, impacting prisoner and staff welfare.
Other
Some contracted resettlement agencies ignore or delay providing data to the IMB upon request, hindering the Board's ability to carry out its statutory duties.
Safety
Observation panels in cell doors are broken/faulty, posing a potential risk, especially when prisoners are on heightened unlock, and contributing to a death in custody.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The gym lift remains out of use, preventing prisoners with mobility issues from accessing the cardio room.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Broken/faulty in-cell CMS systems occur with depressing frequency, greatly impacting prisoners’ lives and access to services.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The prison has an inadequate heating and ventilation system due to building design.
Food/Catering
Lack of staff supervising meal serving, inappropriate clothing for servery workers, missing/unused food temperature probes, and contamination of halal food.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Inconsistent communication and breakdown between staff leading to prisoners missing funerals of close family members.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing recruitment and retention remain challenging, with 19 vacancies across all grades at year-end, despite 105 new officers joining and 126 staff leaving. Staff absences have significantly improved, and there's been a welcome increase to three officers per wing. However, the high number of bed-watches and emergency escorts places strain on staff deployment, and many uniformed staff lack experience. The key worker scheme struggles with allocations and consistent quality, remaining a focus for improvement.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision continues to be a concern, with ongoing issues in complaints management, clinic bookings, long waiting times, medication delays, and safe administration. Suboptimal staffing and inconsistent senior leadership have impacted quality and timeliness. While positive steps include EDiC meetings and improved communication with PPG, and Turning Point offers an excellent substance misuse service, significant delays for mental health transfers to external facilities remain a serious concern.
Regime & Daily Life
The Board welcomes regime improvements in specific units and increased time out of cell on reception wings (EDC 1h 45m, IDTS 4h). Generally, the majority of prisoners enjoy considerable time out of their cells. However, prolonged stays in reception wings can hinder access to purposeful activity. The prison has also introduced a 'closed door policy' during association to reduce violence and plans to expand on-wing activities. The CSU regime, however, is deemed too austere for higher-level incentive prisoners.
Recommendations (16)
Other: 3
HMPPS: 6
NHS / Healthcare Provider: 1
Governor / Director: 6
12 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Minister should take concrete steps, within a specified timeline, to address the issue of too many mental health transfers exceeding the 28-day limit.
Other
(minister)
Mental Health
Response
Proportion of transfers completed within the 28-day period has improved but too many prisoners are still being held in a prison setting, which is not equipped to meet their mental health needs (see 6.3). Longest delay this year (240 days) is greater than last year (176 days).
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Minister should implement measures to address the shortfalls of probation and community support in the London area to reduce re-offending.
Other
(minister)
Resettlement
Response
The benefits of the increase in overall probation staffing in the London region have not been seen in Thameside. Recruitment issues still mean the majority of prisoners are being released without the mandatory resettlement plans completed (see 7.5).
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Minister should take specific, measurable steps to increase probation support and ensure adequate resettlement resources for all remand prisoners, matching the increase in their population.
Other
(minister)
Resettlement
Response
ii) and iii) the Board has identified serious concerns regarding the ability of the PRT to carry out its mandatory role of basic custody screenings (see 7.5), with the result that many prisoners do not receive the support to which they are entitled before they are released. iv) There has been only one bail information officer in post throughout the reporting year, when there should be three (see 7.5). (from response to Lack of adequate probation support) & Although the remand population has increased to nearly 90%, the Board is not aware of any additional resources provided to match this increase. If additional resources have been made available, these do not appear to have translated into better prisoner outcomes. (from response to Length of time on remand)
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Prison Service should address the inadequacy of probation and community resources, despite promised investment.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Response
The benefits of the many initiatives designed to recruit and train more probation officers have not been seen in Thameside. Recruitment issues still mean prisoners are being released without the resettlement support they need and are, therefore, more likely to return to prison (see 7.5). Additionally, the remand population has increased again this year, but the Board is unaware of a corresponding increase in resources (see above).
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Prison Service should ensure that the pre-release team is required to regularly submit accurate data on the completion rate of mandatory tasks and that robust quality assurance processes are in place to monitor their work.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Response
No improvement in this area: the Board has identified serious concerns regarding the ability of the PRT to carry out its mandatory role of basic custody screenings (see 7.5), with the result that many prisoners do not receive the support to which they are entitled before they are released.
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Prison Service should improve the resettlement team's processes for supporting prisoners in finding accommodation on release to reduce homelessness.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Response
i) and ii) While there has been an increase in accommodation support for remand prisoners, the Board considers the support inadequate (see 7.5.1). Additionally, there is a lack of oversight and coordination between the resettlement services for prisoners (see 7.5). iii) Needless restrictions regarding the referral process to the CRS have resulted in delays in sentenced prisoners accessing housing support. As a result, many do not receive support before they are released (see 7.5.1)
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Prison Service should address the lack of coordination and effective oversight of resettlement agencies, and ongoing recruitment issues, to ensure prisoners receive adequate resettlement support.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Response
Additionally, there is a lack of oversight and coordination between the resettlement services for prisoners (see 7.5).
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Prison Service, in conjunction with the Prisoner Escort and Custody Service, should take actions to minimise court vans regularly arriving at the prison after the 8:00 pm lock-out time.
HMPPS
Regime
Response
Unfortunately, the knock-on effect of late court sittings has resulted in vans arriving late at the prison on most evenings (see 4.1).
Recommendation 9
HMPPS should confirm with contracted resettlement agencies that they are required to provide the IMB with requested data, including on prisoner support, target achievement, and staffing levels.
HMPPS
Other
Recommendation 10
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
NHS England should outline what is being done to increase capacity for mental health transfers from prison to hospital, particularly in light of the proposed statutory 28-day time limit.
NHS / Healthcare Provider
Mental Health
Response
Proportion of transfers completed within the 28-day period has improved but too many prisoners are still being held in a prison setting, which is not equipped to meet their mental health needs (see 6.3). Longest delay this year (240 days) is greater than last year (176 days).
Recommendation 11
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Director should ensure that processes are in place for routine regular audits of ACCT documentation and that all staff are aware of their responsibilities in completing these documents.
Governor / Director
Safety
Response
Concerns remain that 80% of documents continue to fall below an acceptable standard in the prison’s own audits and that regular audits have not taken place for much of the year.
Recommendation 12
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Director should prioritise an urgent review into the end-to-end processes for handling prisoner property, including the role of the prison escort contractor.
Governor / Director
Regime
Response
Concerns remain about the lack of progress in this area.
Recommendation 13
Repeated
The Director should implement measures to improve prisoners’ confidence in the incentives system, ensuring it is more consistently applied and subject to routine quality assurance.
Governor / Director
Regime
Response
Some improvement has been noted in relation to canteen issues, but no change to property processes (see above). The Board understands that a review of the incentives process will be carried out.
Recommendation 14
The Director should implement measures to improve record keeping across departments, including key worker entries, meeting minutes, action trackers, CSIP paperwork, and accurate recording of foreign national prisoner language levels.
Governor / Director
Other
Recommendation 15
The Director should consider reinstating the restorative justice post.
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 16
The prison should review information for prisoners’ families, both on the website and in the visitors’ centre, to ensure it is updated, clear, and consistently applied.
Governor / Director
Resettlement
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.