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© Copyright, Independent Monitoring Boards 2026.

Prisoners with acute mental illness suffering lengthy delays before transfer to secure mental health hospitals, say independent monitors

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HMP/YOI Eastwood Park

In its 2024-25 annual report published on 18 March 2026, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) for HMP/YOI Eastwood Park raises the critical issue of the large number of mentally unwell women being held in prison, whose care would be better supported in secure mental health hospitals.

The Board notes that:

  • Some of the most vulnerable prisoners and those who should have been in secure hospitals remained at the prison for far too long due to lengthy transfer delays because of the lack of beds.
  • The rate of self-harm remained concerningly high, with a small number of prisoners harming themselves repeatedly. On occasion, staff felt the need to use force to prevent self-harm or preserve life which led to some assaults on staff occurring during restraint. Thanks to the prompt action of officers and healthcare staff on numerous occasions, for the second consecutive reporting period, there were no deaths in custody.
  • The education budget was cut by 30%, reducing course availability, namely budgeting and finance, personal development, basic reading, ICT (information and communications technology) and ESOL (English for speakers of other languages). These courses help prepare women for life outside of prison and it is disappointing that prisoners will now miss out on this support.
  • The Prison Service failed to reply to queries about when capital funding would be provided for the construction of a gender-specific, trauma-informed designed building in accordance with the 2022-2025 female offender strategy delivery plan. This service is deemed by the Board to be key to providing a rehabilitative environment in prison.

Eastwood Park IMB Chair, Gill Pyatt MBE, said:

“Despite the concerns the Board has raised in this year’s report, including the large number of very mentally unwell women held at HMP Eastwood Park and the ongoing high levels of self-harm, many officers were observed treating prisoners with care and empathy. The Board saw the Governor and her senior team make great efforts to keep prisoners and staff safe; however, this was often a struggle due to low staffing numbers and the complex profile of many of the prisoners.”