IMB Annual Reports
768 annual reports from Independent Monitoring Boards covering 171 establishments. IMBs provide independent oversight of prisons, immigration removal centres, and secure training centres. Source: imb.org.uk.
768
Reports
171
Establishments
757
With Key Concerns
Establishment Type
Reports by Year
Key Findings
99% of IMB reports flag key concerns.
Independent monitors cover 171 establishments
across prisons, immigration removal centres and secure training centres.
Stoke Heath
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 486
Assaults: 157
Staff assaults: 2
HMP/YOI Stoke Heath is a closed, Category C training and resettlement prison for men with an operational capacity of 782. The reporting year saw concerning increases in self-harm incidents (486), assaults (157), and deaths in custody (4), with drugs remaining readily available. Despite a full quota of officers, staff shortages in healthcare and offender management units continue to impact prisoner support and progression. Living conditions in cramped double cells, inadequate food, and insufficient purposeful activity for 30% of the population remain significant challenges.
Key concerns identified
- Overcrowding and cramped living conditions in double cells, exacerbated by ageing accommodation and delayed refurbishment.
- Persistent safety issues, including readily available drugs, an increase in deaths, serious self-harm incidents, assaults, and use of force.
- Significant underperformance in training and resettlement, leading to 30% prisoner inactivity and excessive time spent in cells.
- Underfunded healthcare, with staff shortages, reliance on agency staff, inadequate mental health therapy provision, and long dental waiting times.
- Poor food quality and portion sizes, resulting in high levels of waste and numerous prisoner complaints.
- Difficulties for prisoners in contacting overstretched Prison Offender Managers and inconsistent key worker engagement.
- Ongoing issues with prisoners' property, particularly during transfers between establishments.
- Persistent safety issues, including readily available drugs, an increase in deaths, serious self-harm incidents, assaults, and use of force.
- Significant underperformance in training and resettlement, leading to 30% prisoner inactivity and excessive time spent in cells.
- Underfunded healthcare, with staff shortages, reliance on agency staff, inadequate mental health therapy provision, and long dental waiting times.
- Poor food quality and portion sizes, resulting in high levels of waste and numerous prisoner complaints.
- Difficulties for prisoners in contacting overstretched Prison Offender Managers and inconsistent key worker engagement.
- Ongoing issues with prisoners' property, particularly during transfers between establishments.
Stoke Heath
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 400
Assaults: 139
Staff assaults: 0
HMP/YOI Stoke Heath saw positive developments in education and purposeful activity, leading to increased prisoner satisfaction and a significant drop in unemployment. The key worker scheme improved contact, and healthcare benefited from paramedics and a successful hepatitis C elimination. However, the Board noted a concerning rise in self-harm, assaults, well as issues with cramped living conditions, an aging estate, and limited mental health therapy. Persistent problems with property transfers and an under-resourced offender management unit also remained key concerns.
Key concerns identified
- Rise in self-harm incidents, prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, and drug use.
- Cramped and inhumane living conditions in double cells with a lack of privacy.
- Ageing prison estate, particularly the main kitchen floor (health and safety risk) and the outdated healthcare building.
- Limited therapy provision and narrow range of interventions from the new secondary mental health contract.
- Increased complaints about healthcare, specifically long waiting times for dental care, opiate medication, and external hospital appointments.
- Persistent issues with property loss and damage during transfers between prisons.
- Under-resourced Offender Management Unit leading to lack of prisoner contact.
- Inconvenient social video call times for prisoners to contact families.
- Lack of a meaningful progression plan for IPP prisoners.
- Insufficient resourcing from the Minister to prevent overcrowding and adequately educate/skill prisoners.
- Cramped and inhumane living conditions in double cells with a lack of privacy.
- Ageing prison estate, particularly the main kitchen floor (health and safety risk) and the outdated healthcare building.
- Limited therapy provision and narrow range of interventions from the new secondary mental health contract.
- Increased complaints about healthcare, specifically long waiting times for dental care, opiate medication, and external hospital appointments.
- Persistent issues with property loss and damage during transfers between prisons.
- Under-resourced Offender Management Unit leading to lack of prisoner contact.
- Inconvenient social video call times for prisoners to contact families.
- Lack of a meaningful progression plan for IPP prisoners.
- Insufficient resourcing from the Minister to prevent overcrowding and adequately educate/skill prisoners.
Stoke Heath
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 246
Assaults: 95
HMP/YOI Stoke Heath, a Category C training and resettlement prison, experienced an increase in self-harm incidents and near misses, alongside a noticeable rise in illicit items. While overall violence remained low, prisoners spent more time in their cells due to staffing shortages and inadequate purposeful activity, impacting sentence progression. Healthcare provision was generally met, though dental waiting times were long and planned mental health interventions limited. The Board highlighted concerns regarding prisoner property, resettlement support, and the need for more varied education and work opportunities.
Key concerns identified
- Increase in self-harm incidents (8%) and doubled near misses.
- Noticeable increase in illicit items, especially drugs.
- Prisoners spending more time in cells due to staffing shortages and lack of purposeful activity.
- Prisoner property issues remain a major source of complaints.
- Excessively long waiting times for dental appointments (20 weeks).
- Limited planned interventions for severe and enduring mental health issues.
- Inadequate education and work opportunities, making sentence progression difficult for many.
- Rising number of prisoners without accommodation on release and difficulties maintaining family contact.
- Inadequate facilities for people with disabilities, including restricted access to healthcare and education.
- Noticeable increase in illicit items, especially drugs.
- Prisoners spending more time in cells due to staffing shortages and lack of purposeful activity.
- Prisoner property issues remain a major source of complaints.
- Excessively long waiting times for dental appointments (20 weeks).
- Limited planned interventions for severe and enduring mental health issues.
- Inadequate education and work opportunities, making sentence progression difficult for many.
- Rising number of prisoners without accommodation on release and difficulties maintaining family contact.
- Inadequate facilities for people with disabilities, including restricted access to healthcare and education.
Stoke Heath
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 181
Assaults: 48
Staff assaults: 8
HMP/YOI Stoke Heath maintained a safe and positive environment during the reporting year ending March 2022, despite ongoing Covid challenges. Key positives included improved in-cell telephony, good routine GP access, and declining use of force. However, significant concerns persist regarding the slow restoration of the key worker scheme, inadequate vocational training and resettlement support, and persistent delays in dental care and access to mental health beds.
Key concerns identified
- Inadequate funding for vocational training and resettlement, limiting rehabilitation opportunities.
- Persistent delays in dental care and limited access to regional mental health beds.
- The key worker scheme remains unrestored to the necessary standard, alongside general staffing recruitment challenges.
- Too many prisoners arrive without completed offender assessment system (OASys) documents, hindering progression.
- The ageing heating and hot water system is temperamental and its replacement has been delayed.
- Poor resettlement outcomes, especially for accommodation on release, due to issues with the new service provider.
- Persistent delays in dental care and limited access to regional mental health beds.
- The key worker scheme remains unrestored to the necessary standard, alongside general staffing recruitment challenges.
- Too many prisoners arrive without completed offender assessment system (OASys) documents, hindering progression.
- The ageing heating and hot water system is temperamental and its replacement has been delayed.
- Poor resettlement outcomes, especially for accommodation on release, due to issues with the new service provider.
Stoke Heath
PRISON
Concerns
HMP/YOI Stoke Heath faced significant challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to a restricted regime with prisoners locked in cells for extended periods, impacting their wellbeing and rehabilitation. Despite this, the IMB found the prison to be safe, with well-led healthcare services and positive staff-prisoner relationships. Key concerns include severe funding cuts to education and vocational training, an inadequate heating system, and the detrimental impact of the restrictive regime and blended learning on purposeful activity and rehabilitation.
Key concerns identified
- The 32% cut to the education budget over three years, leading to the loss of 102 activity spaces and all prisoner qualifications in several vocational areas, significantly hinders rehabilitation efforts.
- The heating and hot water system is not fit for purpose, causing extreme cell temperatures that adversely impact prisoner health and wellbeing, and its replacement is a priority.
- Blended learning for education will result in prisoners being locked up for longer periods daily, further undermining the development of an effective rehabilitative culture.
- The national system for managing prisoners’ property on transfer remains inadequate, causing distress to prisoners due to lost personal items and straining prison resources.
- A significant number of prisoners transfer into Stoke Heath without an appropriate OASys or OMiC plan, placing pressure on the prison's resources.
- The pausing of the full key worker programme has negatively impacted prisoners’ progress towards rehabilitation and their understanding of their situation.
- The quality of some prison responses to complaints is often unsatisfactory, failing to resolve grievances and leading to repeat complaints.
- The heating and hot water system is not fit for purpose, causing extreme cell temperatures that adversely impact prisoner health and wellbeing, and its replacement is a priority.
- Blended learning for education will result in prisoners being locked up for longer periods daily, further undermining the development of an effective rehabilitative culture.
- The national system for managing prisoners’ property on transfer remains inadequate, causing distress to prisoners due to lost personal items and straining prison resources.
- A significant number of prisoners transfer into Stoke Heath without an appropriate OASys or OMiC plan, placing pressure on the prison's resources.
- The pausing of the full key worker programme has negatively impacted prisoners’ progress towards rehabilitation and their understanding of their situation.
- The quality of some prison responses to complaints is often unsatisfactory, failing to resolve grievances and leading to repeat complaints.
Stoke Heath
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 328
HMP/YOI Stoke Heath is largely considered safe, with strong violence reduction strategies and improved healthcare services. However, the report highlights significant concerns regarding the use of segregation for mental health cases and long waiting times for transfers. Persistent issues include inadequate telephone access, poor accountability for lost property, and a severe lack of purposeful activity and employment opportunities due to insufficient funding.
Key concerns identified
- The segregation unit is being used to hold prisoners with severe mental health issues.
- The small number of communal telephones limits prisoners' contact with family, causing anxiety.
- There is a longstanding lack of accountability for prisoners' lost property.
- Low rates of purposeful activity and employment on release persist, compounded by insufficient budget for education and vocational training.
- Purposeful activity provided often does not help prisoners with suitable employment upon release.
- Unacceptably long waiting times for mental health transfer assessments to inpatient beds.
- The small number of communal telephones limits prisoners' contact with family, causing anxiety.
- There is a longstanding lack of accountability for prisoners' lost property.
- Low rates of purposeful activity and employment on release persist, compounded by insufficient budget for education and vocational training.
- Purposeful activity provided often does not help prisoners with suitable employment upon release.
- Unacceptably long waiting times for mental health transfer assessments to inpatient beds.