Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Huntercombe
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 5 July 2024
HMP Huntercombe, a Category C prison for foreign national men, largely maintained a full regime during 2023, with positive staff-prisoner relationships and a reduction in ACCTs. However, the Board remains significantly concerned about the influx of illicit items, persistent issues with heating, hot water, and cell window repairs, and an unsuitable healthcare building. Delays in transferring mentally unwell prisoners and ongoing property problems for those being deported are also highlighted, alongside staffing pressures in the Offender Management Unit.
Positive Findings
The Board generally found HMP Huntercombe to be a safe environment where prisoners are treated fairly and humanely, with staff handling incidents well and maintaining positive relationships. Key improvements include the opening of a new kitchen, improved provision for religious observance, and a good CQC inspection for healthcare. The Board also welcomed the reduction in long-term IS91 detainees and noted a downward trend in ACCT plans.
Key Concerns
Substance Misuse
Repeated
The Board remains concerned about the level of illicit items and drugs that are entering the prison and the number of prisoners who appear to be under the influence of known and unknown substances.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The problems with the heating and hot water... are unacceptable for prisoners and take up a great deal of senior staff time in dealing with the issues, as well as significant amount of public money. This needs to be urgently sorted with a permanent solution.
Estate/Conditions
The cell window mechanisms are no longer able to be replaced, which means that if a window’s mechanism is broken... it cannot be fixed. So the prisoners have to either have their window grilles open all the time or closed all the time, which is unacceptable in both cold and hot weather.
Staffing
Key working has, at times ,had not been undertaken due to staff being redeployed. This is disappointing, as prisoners find it helpful to have the one-to-one time with their key worker.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Property remains an ongoing issue. Despite the Ministerial response to the IMB’s 2022 report... the Board can see no improvement in the volume of property that arrives with prisoners to HMP Huntercombe from other prisons.
Healthcare
Repeated
the healthcare team has remained in the same building that suffers with water ingress. This issue was raised in the IMB’s 2022 annual report... The same problems exist a year on and the Board regards the current position as totally unsatisfactory.
Mental Health
The Board is very concerned about the length of time that elapsed from when a medical professional deemed a prisoner needed to be transferred to an acute mental health facility, to the time that the actual transfer happened.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
the roll call has had delays in being reconciled on many occasions, resulting in delays for prisoners attending work and education as well as men missing healthcare and treatment appointments.
Staffing
the offender management unit (OMU) has been working under extreme pressure and is concerned that, with the extended early release scheme (ERS), anticipated increase in roll in 2024 and faster throughput of prisoners, this will continue.
Resettlement/Release
due to external issues, there has not been an increase in the number of prisoners being able to be released on temporary licence (ROTL) to work.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Despite raising the fact in the Board’s 2022 report that many men arrived at HMP Huntercombe within three months of their ERS, this has once again remained of concern throughout the reporting year of 2023. The impact on the prisoners of not having enough time at HMP Huntercombe to be properly prepared for deportation is unsatisfactory.
Mental Health
The delay in transferring a prisoner with a significant mental health condition to a specialist NHS site, even though it had been recommendation by a medical professional, was unacceptable. The Board is very disappointed that the NHS does not prioritise the transfer of prisoners who need NHS mental health treatment.
Segregation
the main segregation unit exercise yard continues to be out of bounds for use by prisoners. This is because it is being used as a pipe duct for the temporary boilers that are providing heating and hot water to the unit. Until this area is cleared, which at the moment is not confirmed, prisoners in the unit only have a very small area in which to exercise each day.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing levels remain a concern across several departments, including healthcare, mental health, and the Offender Management Unit (OMU), with significant reliance on agency staff and high vacancy rates (e.g., 30% in healthcare). Key working is inconsistent due to staff redeployments, and the OMU is under extreme pressure, which is anticipated to worsen with the opening of the new Cadbury wing. Gaps in psychology interventions and CIAG provision were also noted.
Healthcare
Healthcare is provided by Practice Plus Group (PPG) and mental health by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (OHFT), with both services generally working effectively together. Despite a good CQC inspection, the healthcare team continues to operate from unsuitable premises with significant water ingress, an issue raised in the previous year's report. There are ongoing concerns regarding staffing vacancies and significant delays in transferring mentally unwell prisoners to specialist NHS facilities.
Regime & Daily Life
HMP Huntercombe maintained a full regime post-Covid, with increased physical education activity. However, significant issues persist with the antiquated heating and hot water systems and irreparable cell window mechanisms, impacting prisoner comfort. The segregation unit's main exercise yard remains inaccessible. Frequent problems with roll calls and security restrictions also hinder prisoners' access to purposeful activities and education.
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 | 10 | 4 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 9 | 0 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 12 | 0 | |
| Equality | 2 | 0 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 3 | 5 | |
| Food and kitchens | 2 | 3 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 21 | 23 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 7 | 4 | |
| Miscellaneous | 6 | 5 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 22 | 15 | |
| Property within the establishment | 11 | 12 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 16 | 9 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 41 | 32 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 8 | 45 | |
| Transfers | 6 | 4 |
Recommendations (7)
Ministry of Justice: 2
HMPPS: 3
Governor / Director: 2
4 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
What steps will the Minister take to address this issue? [men arriving within three months of ERS]
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 2
How does the Minister plan to avoid this happening to other prisoners with mental health issues? [delay in transferring a prisoner with a significant mental health condition]
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
When will the Prison Service facilitate the urgent upgrading of the antiquated heating and hot water systems?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
When will the Prison Service urgently replace the part of the healthcare facility that has water ingress and is not a reasonable work area?
HMPPS
Healthcare
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
What steps will the Prison Service take to rectify this problem? [property for prisoners at HMP Huntercombe remains]
HMPPS
Property
Recommendation 6
How will the Governor work with staff to ensure that the roll call is accurate, so that prisoners are not disadvantaged by not being able to attend work, education or healthcare?
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 7
When will the Governor investigate whether prisoners in the segregation unit can access the larger exercise yard by work being done to contain the temporary heating hoses, until the substantive work on the heating system is completed?
Governor / Director
Segregation