Drummonds already provided healthcare services at the other IRC run by GEO, Campsfield House, although it did not appear to have a background in healthcare provision. In March 2010, Drummonds was acquired by The Practice Plc, a private healthcare company. The IMB is hopeful that The  Practice, as an experienced healthcare provider, will add value to the service. Improvement is needed.
 
The IMB is concerned about the frequency of detainee complaints that healthcare staff are unhelpful. It is also concerned about the systems in place to ensure that detainees can attend external medical appointments and about the high level of ‘no-shows’ among detainees for on-site appointments with a nurse, doctor or other healthcare professional. 
 
The board notes that healthcare staff feel under pressure. They have told the IMB that the combination of reduced numbers of detention custody officers and a move to completely paper-held records under the Drummonds regime have made it harder for them to run an efficient service. The board understands that there is no prospect of a shift to a computer-based record-keeping system, compatible with NHS systems.
 
Our concern about the care of those with mental health needs remains the same as last year. Detainees with significant mental health needs sometimes languish at Harmondsworth because external beds cannot be found for them or because their needs, while significant, do not warrant their being sectioned under the Mental Health Act. This is distressing for them, for staff and for other detainees. 
 
One detainee, because of his behaviour or mental health problems, has been on Rule 40 (removal from association with other detainees) or Rule 42 (segregation) or in healthcare since November 2009. He was still on Rule 40 when this report was being finalised in late March 2010."

For Immediate Release – May 25th 2010

"The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) of Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre is calling on the Minister for Immigration to stop building new detention centres to prison designs.

In its Annual Report, published 25th May 2010, the board deplores the fact that new wings built at Harmondsworth offer lower standards of decency than the facilities they replace. The new rooms, to be shared by two people, are based on prison cells, with toilets located inside the room, behind limited screening.

The number of detainees at Harmondsworth will increase from 250 to 630 when new wings are completed this summer, making it the largest detention centre in the UK. Most detainees will be held in the new prison-like wings.

The IMB Report also questions the length of time some people are spending in detention and whether detention is used appropriately and effectively. For the first time, it highlights case studies to illustrate its concerns. Other concerns raised in the Report include the provision of healthcare and mental health services and how UKBA deals with detainees who claim be under 18 years old.

IMBs are made up of volunteers who go into the establishment they cover, to monitor that those held inside are treated with decency and respect and according to the rules. They have unsupervised access to all parts of the centre and to any detainee (or prisoner). Members visit at any time of the day or night. They are unpaid volunteers, appointed by Ministers.

Please find attached a copy of the full report and feel free to contact me, preferably by e-mail, if you would like to comment on our work, or require further information."

Hashi Syedain
Chair, Independent Monitoring Board
Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre
Colnbrook By-Pass
West Drayton
Middlesex
UB7 0HB
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Tel: 020 7737 7845

Download the IMB report