Prison
Cat B, YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Forest Bank
IMB Annual Report 2024 · Published 27 March 2025
HMP/YOI Forest Bank, a Category B reception and resettlement prison operated by Sodexo, faced significant challenges during the reporting year, including an increased churn rate and high operational capacity. While purposeful activity and education standards improved, rates of violence and use of force increased, and there were four deaths in custody. Key concerns include managing complex needs, particularly mental health transfers, addressing staff-prisoner relationships and improving medication dispensing and cleanliness.
Positive Findings
The Board found the reception area to be operated well with dedicated staff. Kitchens are consistently found to be of a good standard with excellent hygiene, and staff efforts to maintain cleanliness on certain wings are recognized. The Care and Separation Unit (CSU) staff often receive inter-prison awards and are highly regarded for providing good care. Many experienced prison officers demonstrate respect and compassion, fostering good relationships with prisoners. The Diversity and Inclusion Action Team (DIAT) and the Chaplaincy team are commended for their hard work, dedication, and high standard of service. Purposeful activity has increased, and the standards of education and vocational training are considered good, with the education and vocational departments being well-organised.
Key Concerns
Overcrowding
Forest Bank continues to operate at capacity. Are there any plans to increase prisoner capacity with capital investment in new wings or an expanded prison complex? If so, what additional support will the operator be provided with to manage additional increases of prison capacity?
Other
Reception prisons in general are under real pressure. What plans exist to review and evaluate the model?
Staffing
Repeated
In the Board’s view, staff and prisoner relationships require attention. What steps will the Director take to improve key worker sessions and ensure they are carried out?
Healthcare
The Board has received complaints about medication treatment dispensing times being missed frequently, which has an impact on prisoners’ health. What action will the prison take to improve this outcome?
Substance Misuse
Illicit items continue to be an operational and safety challenge. What investment and support will the operator be provided with to prevent illicit items entering the prison?
Mental Health
From the Board’s observations, the management of prisoners with complex needs continues to be a challenge for the establishment.
Estate/Conditions
The establishment, over the last reporting year, has faced challenges around cleanliness and maintenance issues on the accommodation blocks.
Mental Health
Repeated
From the Board’s observations, there continues to be strain on the mental health services.
Healthcare
Wait times for external healthcare appointments remain long.
Safety
Repeated
Managing transfers to other prisons appears to be a great challenge, with many prisoners becoming distressed by the decision, which can often result in refusal to leave and self-harm.
Safety
Rates of violence have increased by 13% compared with the previous reporting period.
Safety
Use of force has increased by 17% compared with the previous reporting period.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The prison is actively recruiting new officers, though it faces challenges in training them. Staff and prisoner relationships are generally mixed, with particular concerns noted regarding key worker sessions, where a high number of prisoners are unable to identify their key worker and allotted sessions are not consistently provided. Staff retention in education remains good, with only one teacher vacancy. The Board noted the positive contributions of several experienced officers and observed staff undertaking instructor-level training to improve course quality. Staffing restrictions also pose a challenge for providing additional evening association.
Healthcare
Healthcare services are provided by Spectrum for physical health and Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) for mental health. The mental health services are under strain due to an increase in individuals with complex needs. There are long waiting times for external healthcare appointments, and prisoners report delays in seeing medical staff and concerns about missed medication dispensing times or receiving different medications than prescribed in the community. Dental appointment waiting times are four weeks. The repurposed I wing for high-risk prisoners, often on ACCT plans, means these individuals spend significant time in cells due to safety concerns and challenging behaviour.
Regime & Daily Life
The prison has experienced a much-increased churn rate in its population, driven by national pressures. Purposeful activity has increased to an average of 21.2 hours per prisoner per week. However, the regime has been impacted by staff shortages and responses to violent incidents, which can lead to prisoners losing association privileges following dynamic risk assessments. Meaningful out-of-cell time remains a concern, with the Board seeking better progress, including additional evening association, which is challenged by staffing restrictions. Prisoners with additional needs on the repurposed I wing also spend significant time in their cells due to safety issues.
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 | 17 | 1 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 1 | 2 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives schemes, sanctions | 18 | 5 | |
| Equality | 8 | 0 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 9 | 2 | |
| Food and kitchens | 6 | 3 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 38 | 21 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 17 | 13 | |
| Miscellaneous | 25 | 29 | |
| Non-category | 7 | 0 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 9 | 8 | |
| Property within the establishment | 21 | 18 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 21 | 5 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates, recategorisation | 5 | 6 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 15 | 10 | |
| Transfers | 5 | 6 |
Recommendations (8)
Other: 2
HMPPS: 2
Governor / Director: 4
4 repeated
Recommendation 1
Forest Bank continues to operate at capacity. Are there any plans to increase prisoner capacity with capital investment in new wings or an expanded prison complex? If so, what additional support will the operator be provided with to manage additional increases of prison capacity?
Other
(minister)
Overcrowding
Recommendation 2
Reception prisons in general are under real pressure. What plans exist to review and evaluate the model?
HMPPS
Regime
Recommendation 3
Repeated
In the Board’s view, staff and prisoner relationships require attention. What steps will the Director take to improve key worker sessions and ensure they are carried out?
Governor / Director
Staffing
Recommendation 4
The Board has received complaints about medication treatment dispensing times being missed frequently, which has an impact on prisoners’ health. What action will the prison take to improve this outcome?
Governor / Director
Healthcare
Recommendation 5
Illicit items continue to be an operational and safety challenge. What investment and support will the operator be provided with to prevent illicit items entering the prison?
Governor / Director
Substance Misuse
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
What progress has been made to ensure prisoners in need of secure mental health facilities are transferred in a reasonable timeframe?
Other
(minister)
Mental Health
Response
National action to be taken on this thematic finding. NHS good practice guidance sets out that cases should be resolved in 28 days. Referenced the National Partnership Agreement on Health and Social Care in England, which was published in February 2023.
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
What further support can be given to assist the prison in managing the onward movement of prisoners who are distressed about moving and disrupt transfers. This can result in the prisoner not being accepted on the usual transport of the receiving establishment?
HMPPS
Safety
Response
HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) commented that the prisoner escort and custody service (PECS) supplies support for disruptive prisoners on a case-by-case basis.
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Meaningful out-of-cell time remains a concern. What actions is the senior leadership team undertaking to address this?
Governor / Director
Regime
Response
During the reporting period, the Director sent a directive to wings that, during an incident, a dynamic risk assessment should be performed vs, the entire wing subjected to losing association, isolating the offending prisoners. The senior leadership team (SLT) has also allowed some trusted prisoners to escort themselves (to healthcare, social visits, education, industries, adjudications), with officers placed statically, monitoring activity and opening gates when needed.
Other IMB Reports for Forest Bank
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
9 Dec 2024
Unannounced
Safety: 2
Respect: 3
Activity: 2
Release: 3
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.