Tinsley House Immigration Removal Centre – continued progress

Tinsley House was performing well and had made continued progress, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons, publishing the report of an announced full follow-up inspection of the immigration removal centre (IRC) near Gatwick.

Tinsley House holds up to 119 male detainees, and also has an adjoining facility for families with children which can hold up to eight families. Over the previous 12 months, just over 40 families had been held in the family unit, normally for a matter of hours. At its last inspection in February 2011, the centre was performing reasonably well or better against inspectors’ four tests of a healthy establishment. This inspection found evidence of further improvement with the centre now performing well in three of the tests: safety, activities and preparation for removal and release.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

  • detainees reported that they felt safe, security and control were proportionate to risk and there was little violence;
  • those at risk of self-harm were generally well cared for;
  • the general environment was very good and the atmosphere was calm and respectful;
  • staff-detainee relationships were excellent;
  • the provision of activity was good and had improved since the last inspection, meaning most detainees had enough to do and could work if they wanted to;
  • welfare services were well used, detainees had good access to communications and the support of the Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group was particularly valuable; and
  • staff on the family unit were well trained and understood their child protection responsibilities.

Inspectors were, however, concerned to find that:

  • some detainees in self-harm crisis were placed improperly in the separation room;
  • although primary health care was satisfactory, clinical governance was weak and there were some concerning risks in pharmacy and mental health services; and
  • welfare services could still be developed to meet more complex welfare needs.

Nick Hardwick said:

‘Overall, this is an excellent report. Tinsley House is one of the best centres we have inspected, with good outcomes in three of our four tests of a healthy establishment. We identify a number of improvements that should be made, particularly in relation to health care, but also on the management of separation and in diversity and welfare.’

Notes to editors:

  1. View a copy of the report. (748 kB)
  2. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment, and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
  3. This announced full follow-up inspection was carried out from 8-11 October 2012.
  4. Tinsley House is an immigration removal centre for adult male detainees. It also has family suite which opened in 2011. It is run by G4S on behalf of UKBA.
  5. Please contact Jane Parsons at HMI Prisons on 020 7035 2123 or 07880 787452 if you would like more information or to request an interview with Nick Hardwick.