Prison
Cat STHF
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
North East Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber STHF
IMB Annual Report 2025 · Published 16 September 2025
The IMB report for North East Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber STHFs highlights generally positive staff-detainee interactions and a relaxed atmosphere at Swinderby RSTHF, but raises significant concerns across the wider STHF estate. Key issues include inadequate risk identification processes, the inhumane policy of confiscating medication, and the unsuitability of several holding facilities. The Board's ability to monitor effectively is severely hampered by restricted access to records and persistent unresponsiveness from the Home Office regarding critical concerns, including medical confidentiality breaches and emergency response failures.
Positive Findings
The Board consistently observes staff demonstrating a priority for the safety, welfare, and dignity of detained people, leading to a relaxed atmosphere and positive relationships. Feedback from detainees about fair and decent treatment is overwhelmingly positive. Healthcare services at Swinderby are delivered without concern, and a range of recreational and wellbeing facilities, including outdoor access and 24-hour movement, contribute to a positive environment. Detainees are kept well-informed about their removal, transfer, or release plans.
Key Concerns
Safety
Repeated
In our last annual report, the Board expressed a major ongoing concern about processes designed to identify risk and vulnerabilities, in particular stating the IMB’s view that reception interview arrangements, which are an important process for identifying risk, are inadequate (see 4.1.1). This remains a concern, although we are pleased to learn that steps are to be taken to ensure that all reception interviews will be conducted in a private, confidential space in future with plans to modify the reception area.
Safety
Repeated
We also highlighted a concern that many of the requirements for identifying and supporting individuals who may be at risk of self-harm and/or suicide, outlined in Detention Services Order (DSO) 01/2022, covering Assessment Care in Detention Teamwork’s (ACDT), are not in place in Swinderby RSTHF. We were told that these concerns were being addressed in a number of ways but we are awaiting information about the progress of any changes.
Healthcare
Repeated
the Board remains concerned about the safety of people detained in circumstances where current Home Office policy prevents people from taking their medication for pre-existing medical conditions.
Estate/Conditions
Ongoing poor suitability of facilities at Leeds Bradford Airport and the Port of Hull for immigration detention.
Estate/Conditions
Hot temperatures and stagnant air in the windowless facility at Sheffield Vulcan House.
Safety
Routine use of escorted handcuffing at Sheffield Vulcan House because of the unsuitability of the route to and condition of the loading bay for more humane escorts to the vans.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
People being detained in holding rooms overnight or in police stations instead of in residential STHFs.
Other
Continued instances of inadequate record-keeping, including the recording of ongoing care and welfare checks.
Complaints/Property
Repeated
Access of the IMB to STHF records.
Healthcare
during the year we did encounter a very concerning breach of medical confidentiality stemming from a combination of the Home Office’s Detention, Escorting and Population Management Unit (DEPMU) practice and centre practice.
Healthcare
We also were concerned about arrangements for emergency healthcare response to the centre following an attempted suicide at the centre. The incident revealed shortfalls in the emergency response caused by a number of specific problems
Regime/Time Out of Cell
difficulties in the availability of onward transport which sometimes means that stays in STHFs are longer than they need to be.
Complaints/Property
Repeated
Delays by the Home Office in responding to IMB concerns
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staff-detainee relationships are generally good, and staff visibility and ratios are high, contributing to a relaxed environment. However, the Board remains concerned about the efficacy and trust in systems to identify and prevent unacceptable staff conduct, including whistleblowing procedures, due to slow responses to inquiries and a lack of transparency.
Healthcare
Swinderby RSTHF benefits from 24/7 on-site general nurse provision, GP, mental health access, and pharmacy, with no concerns about service delivery. However, the Board is seriously concerned about a major breach of medical confidentiality, particularly concerning an individual's HIV status, which went unaddressed by the Home Office. Emergency response shortcomings, including ambulance delays and internal healthcare staff availability issues, were also noted after a self-harm incident. For other STHFs, a lack of specific healthcare provision means reliance on external NHS services, and the policy of confiscating personal medication is deemed inhumane and dangerous.
Regime & Daily Life
At Swinderby RSTHF, the regime is relatively relaxed with low numbers, offering 18 hours of access to grounds and 24-hour movement in and out of rooms, complemented by wellbeing activities and direct phone access. In contrast, port, airport, and reporting centre STHFs suffer from poor facility suitability, including hot, stagnant conditions at Sheffield Vulcan House. Concerns persist about people being detained overnight in holding rooms or police stations due to onward transport difficulties, leading to longer, unnecessary stays.
Recommendations (14)
Ministry of Justice: 3
Home Office: 6
Other: 4
NHS / Healthcare Provider: 1
5 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
We repeat our recommendation that the policy be immediately revised to allow staff in STHFs to permit the person detained to take a required dose at intervals as per the prescription or pharmaceutical product recommendations. We judge that permitting single doses is important for preventing any risk of health deterioration and for being fair and humane, while minimising any adverse risk.
Ministry of Justice
Healthcare
Response
In Autumn 2024 we were told by the Home Office: “It is accepted this issue has only been part resolved with the roll out of 24/7 paramedic coverage across the 16 busiest holding room locations during 2022. Following completion of the estate wide Health Needs Assessment in 2023, the Home Office has been considering the service delivery model in place at HM Courts (Magistrate/Crown) and are currently drafting a specification to support a procurement of a new healthcare service. Once completed, we will begin to consider suitable suppliers to deliver this service.”
Recommendation 2
In the light of the problems getting responses from the Home Office identified earlier in this report (see above section), we recommend that the protocol between the IMB and the Home Office is revised to incorporate a fixed procedure and timescale for responses to concerns the IMB escalates to the Home Office.
Ministry of Justice
Complaints
Recommendation 3
The IMB should be given its own direct, independent access to electronic records. It is not adequate for IMB access to records to be dependent on Border Force or other facility staff gathering and curating print-outs of records. Such a system is inefficient, it hinders the IMB’s ability to get a full picture of cases and, in a worst case scenario, it could enable a cover-up by rogue actors wishing to keep things hidden from IMB view.
Ministry of Justice
Other
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
We have yet to hear of any progress or outcome from the review and recommend that the Home Office provides the IMB with a clear timeline and process for consulting with the IMB on the content and outcome of the review.
Home Office
Safety
Response
In response, we were pleased to learn from the Home Office that a review is taking place into Rule 32/35 and STHFs as well as ACDT processes.
Recommendation 5
We recommend that the matter is investigated urgently by the Home Office. We also request that the IMB be given reasons as to why our concerns have not been responded to.
Home Office
Healthcare
Response
The IMB has not received any response from the Home Office since an acknowledgement received shortly after 1 August. The lack of response to such a significant matter is very concerning.
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
We call upon the Home Office and the IMB staff team to cooperate in obtaining an independent legal opinion on the records and data that the IMB needs to have unfettered access to in order to fulfil its statutory duties.
Home Office
Other
Recommendation 7
We request an audit of the use of handcuffs or other restraints for escorts to vans at Sheffield Vulcan House for the period covered by this report so that Care & Custody and the Home Office can review the impact of the issue and consider whether this practice is necessary or if other solutions can be implemented. We also request that any such audit is shared with the IMB.
Home Office
Safety
Recommendation 8
We consider that this facility, comprising a windowless room with no natural light or ventilation, is not fit for purpose in the summer months and recommend it not be used for detention in that time of the year.
Home Office
Estate
Recommendation 9
We recommend an audit is conducted by independent assessors to check compliance with the disability access requirements that were current at the time of construction and that any non-compliance is remedied as quickly as possible. In the case of other facilities, we note Border Force’s commitment, in discussion with port operators, to examine “what can be achieved within the constraints and operational reality” of the sites (letter to IMB dated 11 December 2024). We request that a clear timetable and action plan is shared with the IMB as quickly as possible. In the case of the facility at Leeds Bradford Airport, which is currently in development as part of a new build extension of the terminal building, we request reassurance that all aspects of current disability standards will be complied with.
Home Office
Equality
Recommendation 10
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
We recommend that a clear commitment is given to ensuring complete confidentiality for all reception interviews.
Other
(other)
Safety
Recommendation 11
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
We request that Care & Custody provide the IMB with a clear timeline and process for consulting with the IMB on the content and outcome of the review.
Other
(other)
Safety
Recommendation 12
The IMB would like to have reassurance that centre protocols are to be revised to ensure that explicit procedures are in place to enable healthcare professionals (both internal staff and external paramedics) to attend health emergency incidents as quickly as possible – including the allocation of fast escort staff to facilitate this and the use of locational tools such as ‘what3words’.
Other
(other)
Healthcare
Recommendation 13
We request clarity on what remedies have been or are to be introduced to prevent this failure in the future.
Other
(other)
Safety
Recommendation 14
In the light of delays in ambulance and paramedic attendance following an incident at Swinderby RSTHF, we recommend the use of ‘what3words’ or other precision location tools to aid navigation to places of detention and that lists of such places with the location details be readily available to paramedic crews. This is relevant not just for places such as Swinderby RSTHF but also for detention rooms on complex and sprawling sites, such as ports.
NHS / Healthcare Provider
Healthcare