Prison
Cat D
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
North Sea Camp
IMB Annual Report 2025 · Published 20 August 2025
HMP North Sea Camp is a Category D open prison providing a safe and humane environment with a new Governor making positive regime and community engagement changes. While healthcare and education services receive commendations, significant concerns persist around inadequate accommodation standards, particularly for double rooms and dormitories, and the lack of on-site residential healthcare for complex needs. The Board also highlights issues with delayed Offender Assessment System (OASys) completion by Community Offender Managers and the ongoing lack of progress for IPP prisoners.
Positive Findings
The Board is satisfied that HMP North Sea Camp generally provides a safe and humane environment, with a new Governor implementing positive changes to regime and community links. Healthcare services are highly praised by prisoners, and the mental health team is motivated and provides a good range of interventions. Educational opportunities are varied and have seen significant improvements in learner engagement and attendance, preparing prisoners well for release and employment.
Key Concerns
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The size of the double rooms in all the main accommodation units is not suitable, in our view, in that it is often impossible to fit a chair or a table, let alone two of each, into a room. The accommodation does not comply with prison service instructions (PSIs) when used by two prisoners.
Healthcare
There is no facility within the prison to treat prisoners suitably for complex medical conditions and during an end-of-life period, as there are no on-site residential healthcare facilities. This results in prisoners with chronic and other serious health issues staying on the units in the prison, surrounded by other prisoners and the usual activities of everyday prison life.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The offender management unit (OMU) continues to encounter problems in getting information from community offender managers (COMs). Although the majority of prisoners now arrive at North Sea Camp with offender assessment (OASys) completed, it has proved difficult for the prison to collect further information, causing delays to ROTL.
Other
Repeated
There continues to be little tangible progress in the plight of IPP prisoners.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The quality of some of the accommodation is poor and the space allocated to prisoners sharing rooms is not ideal. Although it was good to see the decommissioning of the two-storey ageing accommodation units, the Board is concerned that, despite numerous proposals, there still appears to be no progress in replacing them.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Resources should be allocated to convert the dormitories (which consist of 2x3 beds and 2x4 beds) to smaller rooms so that prisoners will not have to share with more than one person.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
There continues to be a problem with prisoners’ property not always arriving in its entirety on completion of a transfer. Prisoners face a long wait for their property, which sometimes contain personal memorabilia and legal documents relating to their situation.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Healthcare staffing levels are at full complement with 19 staff members, including mental health nurses. The report raises a recommendation for the Minister to consider extending the key worker scheme, currently in the closed estate, to the open estate. Staff-prisoner relationships are observed to be supportive and positive, and a safer community team includes staff and trusted prisoners.
Healthcare
Healthcare services are provided by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, with full staffing levels and positive feedback from prisoners. There is no in-patient healthcare or dedicated palliative care unit, meaning prisoners with complex or end-of-life conditions remain on units or are transferred to local hospitals/hospices. Mental health support is robust, with a motivated team offering varied interventions, and the prison also has GP and dental services available on site or locally.
Regime & Daily Life
The new Governor has introduced significant regime changes to foster a North Sea Camp identity. While prisoners generally have access to association areas and outdoor spaces for much of the day, concerns persist regarding the quality and capacity of accommodation, particularly double rooms not complying with PSIs and the need to convert dormitories to smaller units. The prison offers a variety of popular clubs, activities, and a well-equipped gymnasium.
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 | 16 | 13 | |
| Discipline | 0 | 0 | |
| Discrimination | 0 | 0 | |
| Domestic | 30 | 25 | |
| Education | 3 | 2 | |
| Equality | 0 | 0 | |
| Facilities | 10 | 8 | |
| Financial | 4 | 3 | |
| Healthcare | 21 | 18 | |
| Legal | 8 | 6 | |
| OMU | 35 | 29 | |
| Other | 7 | 6 | |
| Property | 19 | 15 | |
| Reception | 1 | 1 | — |
| ROTL | 7 | 6 | |
| Safeguarding | 0 | 0 | |
| Segregation | 0 | 0 | |
| Staff | 1 | 1 | — |
| Transfers | 6 | 5 | |
| Violence | 0 | 0 | |
| Visits | 10 | 9 | |
| Work | 8 | 7 |
Recommendations (2)
Governor / Director: 2
2 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. addressed
The Board recommends that the Governor continues to work with, and support, the IPP community at North Sea Camp and monitor recall rates.
Governor / Director
Other
Response
The Governor continues to meet regularly with the IPP population to provide support and advice. Has recently started to monitor recall rates.
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. addressed
The Board recommends that the Governor facilitates working with presumptive recategorisation scheme (PRS) prisoners and minimising the potential detrimental effects on the regime, particularly the challenges brought by the increase in time that a prisoner can spend in the open estate.
Governor / Director
Regime
Response
The OMU [offender management unit] has been tasked with ensuring that suitable prisoners are relocated into North Sea Camp. The Governor recently produced a video to manage prisoners’ transferring expectations.
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.