Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Onley
IMB Annual Report 2025 · Published 24 July 2025
HMP Onley, a Category C prison, experienced a challenging year with significant increases in violence and self-harm incidents. Key concerns include high levels of illicit substances, poor living conditions, and unacceptable waiting times for healthcare. Despite some positive developments in key worker delivery and resettlement initiatives, staffing shortages and backlogs in offender management continue to hinder progression.
Positive Findings
The Board welcomed improvements in key worker sessions (99% delivered), effective management of disabled prisoners, and positive teaching quality (88% good/excellent). Significant progress was made in resettlement with new partnerships (Greene King, rail track) leading to employment opportunities. The kitchen manager was commended for accommodating diverse dietary needs, and chaplaincy provided strong pastoral support.
Key Concerns
Substance Misuse
continued high levels of availability of illicit substances
Safety
increased drone activity
Safety
increase in incidents of violence
Safety
increase in prolific self-harmers
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
poor condition of cell windows
Estate/Conditions
poor condition of the cells on the older wings.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
ongoing issues with kitchen equipment and wing washing machines
Estate/Conditions
sub-standard condition of wing exercise yards on the older block
Healthcare
long waiting times for general practitioner and dental appointments
Healthcare
the dental chair, whilst somewhat operational, is in urgent need of replacement
Staffing
continued limited awareness among staff and officers of the HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) prison drugs strategy
Staffing
the impact of delays in gaining vetting clearance for new appointees
Resettlement/Release
continued offender management system (OASys) completion and sentence planning backlogs
Regime/Time Out of Cell
lack of prisoner engagement in activities
Education/Purposeful Activity
inadequate number of workspaces within the prison workshops
Complaints/Property
Repeated
missing, mislaid and delayed prisoner property continues to be a problem, particularly on transfer between prisons.
Estate/Conditions
The state of the floors, showers and cells on some wings and areas of the establishment is poor.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The Board’s view is that one washing machine for wings housing 60-100 prisoners is inadequate. The Board is also of the view that the choice of domestic washing machines over commercial washing machines is adding to the problem of frequent washing machine breakdowns.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Significant staffing challenges persist across the prison, including in healthcare, substance misuse, and offender management, with several vacancies and reliance on agency staff. Delays in vetting new appointees continue to impact recruitment. While key worker sessions have improved, some staff lack de-escalation skills, and there's limited awareness of the prison drugs strategy.
Healthcare
Healthcare provided by Practice Plus Group has improved in medicine management according to HIMP/CQC. However, significant concerns remain regarding long waiting times for GP appointments, which are deemed unacceptable, and lengthy dental waiting lists. Staffing shortages persist across the healthcare team, notably with no psychologist or assistant psychologist in post, and vacancies in nursing and paramedic roles.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime at HMP Onley is hampered by a lack of purposeful activity and engagement, resulting in many prisoners spending considerable time locked in their cells. Despite a new incentives-driven activities policy, approximately 300 prisoners lack access to work or education. Prisoner comments indicate only two hours out of cell daily and a desire for more socialisation and sport.
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 | 7 | 7 | — |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 4 | 9 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 3 | 3 | — |
| Equality | 1 | 0 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 12 | 7 | |
| Food and kitchens | 12 | 12 | — |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 35 | 41 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 6 | 9 | |
| Miscellaneous | 65 | 93 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 53 | 58 | |
| Property within the establishment | 22 | 37 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 18 | 18 | — |
| Sentence management, including home detention curfew (HDC), release on temporary licence (ROTL), parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 46 | 38 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 44 | 68 | |
| Transfers | 30 | 24 |
Recommendations (12)
Ministry of Justice: 3
HMPPS: 4
Governor / Director: 5
5 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Minister should address the persistent problem of missing, mislaid, and delayed prisoner property, particularly on transfer between prisons, which continues despite previous reports.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Response
Referred to the Prisoner Property Policy Framework Sept 2022. The Framework does place an emphasis on ensuring compliance with volumetric control limits; anything within these limits will be transferred with the prisoner. 4-week delays are within the Framework. Feedback commonly identifies the need to introduce digital systems to replace paper-based processes for recording prisoners’ items. Digital proposals will be longer term due to the need to prioritise.
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The windows and window frames across the establishment are in a poor condition and an entry point for drone packages and rats. The Minister should arrange for these windows to be replaced, as they are no longer fit for purpose, are an easy target for drone drops and endanger the ongoing security and stability of the establishment.
Ministry of Justice
Estate
Response
A programme of works to replace windows site-wide and install anti-barricade doors can now be developed and will be considered for funding once current costs are understood. The Governor has agreed to fund the installation of some new windows and window grills from the prisons budget which have been highlighted as a drone risk. Amey have been asked to cost this.
Recommendation 3
Delays in the vetting process are impacting on non-operational appointees taking up employment. The Minister should address these delays.
Ministry of Justice
Staffing
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Prison Service should provide additional support to reduce drone activity at HMP Onley.
HMPPS
Safety
Response
HMPPS continues to work hard to deter, detect and disrupt the illegal use of drones targeting our prisons. The Risk and Capabilities Unit have provided support and guidance to HMP Onley through the completion of a drone vulnerability assessment to understand the local threats and identify appropriate mitigations. A 400-metre drone Restricted Fly Zone has been introduced around all closed prisons. HMP Onley have implemented a local process to take immediate action following the sighting of a drone.
Recommendation 5
The increase in prisoners with severe mental health issues puts considerable strain on the staff. The Prison Service should provide additional support for such prisoners or find alternative, more suitable accommodation for them.
HMPPS
Mental_health
Recommendation 6
The state of the floors, showers and cells on some wings and areas of the establishment is poor. The Prison Service should ensure that prisoners are living in a dignified environment.
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 7
The Board’s view is that one washing machine for wings housing 60-100 prisoners is inadequate. The Board is also of the view that the choice of domestic washing machines over commercial washing machines is adding to the problem of frequent washing machine breakdowns. The Prison Service should address the inadequacy of laundry facilities.
HMPPS
Regime
Recommendation 8
The Governor should do more to ensure the clothing exchange store (CES) is supported to receive and consistently maintain adequate stocks of issued clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE).
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 9
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Governor should do more to improve the condition of the external exercise yards so that they provide a safe, dignified and fit for purpose environment for prisoners.
Governor / Director
Estate
Response
Dedicated teams were employed to tidy up the yards.
Recommendation 10
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Governor should do more to enhance prisoner engagement with activities and increase the availability of meaningful activities.
Governor / Director
Education
Response
The Board evidenced there was significant focus on this issue throughout the reporting year.
Recommendation 11
The Governor should provide support to reduce the long waiting times for general practitioner and dental appointments.
Governor / Director
Healthcare
Recommendation 12
The Governor should ensure that speedy repairs are carried out for essential kitchen equipment that is frequently out of order.
Governor / Director
Food
Other IMB Reports for Onley
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.