IRC
Cat IRC
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Gatwick IRC
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 29 August 2024
The Gatwick IRC experienced a deterioration in safety during 2023, marked by increased violence, assaults on staff, and a rise in use of force incidents, partly attributed to a changing detainee population. Key safeguards for vulnerable individuals, such as Rule 34 and Rule 35 assessments, were found to be insufficient or subject to unacceptable delays. The report highlighted significant concerns regarding inadequate mental health provision, unfair regime practices including prolonged lock-in times, and a lack of effective pathways for release for detainees granted bail.
Positive Findings
The Board welcomed the Brook House Inquiry report and its recommendations. They commended individual staff and teams, especially those working with vulnerable men, welfare, social workers, education, and religious affairs, for their commitment and de-escalation skills. Improvements in reception and induction processes were noted, as were positive initiatives for men with complex needs and attention to special dietary requirements. Positive changes included challenging the default use of constant watch for self-harm risk.
Key Concerns
Safety
Safety in both Brook House and Tinsley House has deteriorated over the course of 2023. This is evidenced by increased violence, including altercations between detained men and assaults on staff.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Anti-social behaviour was too often poorly handled at Brook House.
Safety
The Detention Gatekeeper has not been robust enough in its safeguarding purpose of protecting vulnerable people from being detained.
Safety
Repeated
There has been continued failure to use Detention Centre Rule 35 to its fullest extent and in accordance with its clear words.
Healthcare
Wait times for Rule 35 appointments are unacceptably long.
Mental Health
A disproportionate burden of the care of men with serious mental ill health falls on officers who are not trained or adequately supported to manage such complex needs.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Detention without a time limit is unfair and inhumane. The Board sees the impact of delays and the failings in accountability and communication, both in casework generally and in the release process in particular.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The Board considers increased lock-in times before lunch and evening meals to be unfair and detrimental to the wellbeing of the men.
Safety
Repeated
It is not fair treatment to have a blanket policy of using fully kitted control-and-restraint teams in every planned intervention for the use of force. Almost every man escorted on a hospital visit was handcuffed in the last six months of the year.
Healthcare
There is inadequate staffing of healthcare and a lack of continuity caused by over-reliance on agency staff. This leads to a failure to provide necessary care such as psychological interventions.
Mental Health
There is a wide gap between the level of need for mental health support and what has been provided, both in terms of low-level interventions (anxiety, depression) and more severe presentations. Mental health provision has been inadequate to the needs of the men.
Resettlement/Release
Failure by the Home Office to establish pathways to release by working with its counterparts in the Probation Service resulted in significant anxiety among the detained men and even despair on occasion. It unnecessarily extended time in detention for too many people who had already been granted immigration bail.
Other
People detained at Gatwick did not always have meaningful access to legal advice throughout 2023.
Complaints/Property
Repeated
Even fewer complaints against Serco were upheld this year. The functioning of the complaints process does not give confidence that it is fair.
Other
Payment of £1 per hour to detained people for work being done is not fair and does not reflect the value of the work. Similar considerations apply to the failure to increase the daily allowance of £0.71 paid to detained people.
Substance Misuse
This year saw an increase in the presence of substances, particularly at Brook House. Psychoactive substances were particularly prevalent in the early part of the reporting year. There have been some indications, including from detained men, that some staff are involved in the supply.
Segregation
The Board is concerned about the use of Detention Centre Rule 40 (where the detained person is separated from others) when a man refuses to share a room. We do not believe that it is justified in many cases.
Estate/Conditions
Brook House and Tinsley House are showing their age, and the Board has commented with some frequency in 2023 on the griminess of many parts of both centres. Men have consistently raised concerns about showers, toilets and residential laundries, particularly at Tinsley House. Both centres have had issues with drainage and bad odours. Laundries often have clothing piled up and a backlog of people waiting to use machines, and men have sometimes mentioned that clothing has gone missing when unsupervised. Men complain of airlessness. This is exacerbated by pervasive and unchecked smoking and vaping both in common areas and in rooms.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing levels for Home Office DET were insufficient, though efforts were made to recruit and plan for increased numbers under the Illegal Migration Act. Healthcare suffered from inadequate staffing and over-reliance on agency personnel, leading to continuity issues and potential staff burnout, with observed defensiveness and disengagement. Staff on E wing, while empathetic, lacked specific training for managing complex mental health needs.
Healthcare
Practice Plus Group provided healthcare but failed to fully address critical safeguard concerns. There was inadequate staffing and over-reliance on agency staff, leading to a lack of psychological interventions. Mental health provision was significantly below the level of need, with specialists often focusing on medication rather than broader support. Despite improved dental access and some positive health initiatives, issues with staff culture, engagement during incidents, and slow progress in healthcare provision persisted.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime saw increased lock-in times, especially before meals, which the Board considered unfair and detrimental to detainee wellbeing, linking it to staffing issues. Families ceased to be accommodated at Tinsley House from January 2024. While an induction wing was re-established at Brook House, welfare inductions are now less confidential. The Board also noted problematic use of Rule 40 separation for refusing to share rooms and pre-emptive separation before flights.
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 transfers) | 16 | 13 | |
| Discipline | 1 | 0 | |
| Healthcare | 35 | 40 | |
| Legal issues | 6 | 9 | |
| Money | 1 | 3 | |
| Other (including questions/issues not covered above) | 26 | 21 | |
| Property (including lost/damaged property) | 4 | 2 | |
| Staff behaviour | 1 | 1 | — |
| Time in detention | 48 | 26 | |
| Total | 138 | 115 |
Recommendations (15)
Home Office: 7
Governor / Director: 4
NHS / Healthcare Provider: 4
6 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Introduce a time limit for immigration detention.
Home Office
Regime
Recommendation 2
In conjunction with NHS England, develop an agreed script that explains both the physical and mental health aspects of Rule 34 appointments and their relevance to continued detention. Require that the agreed script on the purpose of Rule 34 appointments is translated into all languages necessary for people detained in IRCs.
Home Office
Healthcare
Recommendation 3
Any review of the use of force policy in immigration detention should require that use of fully kitted control-and-restraint teams in planned interventions for the use of force should be risk assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Home Office
Safety
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Review the operation of the process for handling complaints against Serco, including factors behind withdrawal rates, considering changes such as introducing specialist teams to handle complaints, shortening the time for responses, and whether contractual penalties can be modified.
Home Office
Complaints
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Share the contents of complaints – and their respopnses – against the Home Office.
Home Office
Complaints
Recommendation 6
DET should maintain regular surgeries in both centres, with increased outreach to ensure men are aware of them and increase their presence in the centres to improve accountability and men’s access to information.
Home Office
Regime
Recommendation 7
Visits by caseowners to the centres, particularly Brook House, should take place routinely to improve their understanding of the context and impact of their decisions and improve men’s access to decision-makers.
Home Office
Resettlement
Recommendation 8
Repeated
A trauma-informed approach should be undertaken throughout both centres, including psychological first-aid training for staff, particularly those who work with the most vulnerable people, e.g. those on E wing.
Governor / Director
Mental Health
Recommendation 9
Use of fully kitted control-and-restraint teams in planned interventions for the use of force should be risk assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 10
Repeated
Reduce the prevalence of the use of handcuffs on escort by striking a better balance between security and the risk of harm or distress to the detained man.
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 11
More focus on vocational training that can support men on removal or release.
Governor / Director
Education
Recommendation 12
In conjunction with Home Office Immigration Enforcement, develop an agreed script that explains both the physical and mental health aspects of Rule 34 appointments and their relevance to continued detention.
NHS / Healthcare Provider
Healthcare
Recommendation 13
Require healthcare professionals and staff to use the agreed script consistently in all IRCs, particularly in initial reception healthcare appointments.
NHS / Healthcare Provider
Healthcare
Recommendation 14
Review the complaints’ management systems for the healthcare unit to ensure there is adequate accountability to the men using the services.
NHS / Healthcare Provider
Complaints
Recommendation 15
Repeated
Share the contents of complaints against the healthcare unit, having redacted clinical information, and responses to them.
NHS / Healthcare Provider
Complaints