Migrant centre health services at 'breaking point'

Health services are at "breaking point" as incidents of self-harm have more than doubled at an immigration detention centre, inspectors have warned.

Fights and assaults on staff at Brook House immigration removal centre had increased more than five-fold since inspectors' last visit in 2022, rising from 14 to 80 assaults and eight to 50 fights.

More than a third of approximately 330 detainees at Brook House, near Gatwick Airport in West Sussex, told officials they had felt suicidal at the site at some point.

A Home Office spokesperson said "robust action" was being taken to improve standards across immigration detention facilities.

Incidents of self-harm had more than doubled to 12 a month since the last inspection, the report from HM Chief Inspector of Prisons found.

Chief inspector Charlie Taylor said it was a matter of "serious concern" to find a deterioration in health care provision at the centre and that the service was "stretched to breaking point".

A man died in hospital after being detained at the centre in November 2023 while another detainee was discovered dead at Brook House in October.

The Brook House Inquiry report detailed 19 serious incidents where detainees at the centre were abused by staff, following an undercover investigation by BBC Panorama in 2017.

The latest inspection from 5 to 22 August found a "concerning and substantial rise" in violence and self-harm while safety and respect had also declined.

Inspectors praised efforts to improve activities at Brook House and discovered there were more jobs and spaces for physical and recreational activities, while welfare work remained good despite the service being “fragile and understaffed”.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We recognise standards need to improve across immigration detention facilities, that is why we are taking robust action to improve conditions and safeguards, informed by the findings of this report.

"We are reviewing current practices around preventing violence and use of force within the site, and have introduced a programme focused on improving the overall culture, as well as a mentoring scheme for newly recruited officers."

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