During an assessment under our new approach
Oakhill Secure Training Centre (STC) is operated by G4S Care and Justice Services. The STC provides accommodation for up to 80 children, male and female, aged 12 to 19 years, who are serving a custodial sentence or who are remanded to custody by the courts. DrPA Secure provides healthcare services to children living in the STC.
A joint inspection of Oakhill STC was conducted 21 – 25 July 2025 alongside Ofsted and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons. During the inspection we found the provider to be in breach of regulations relating to the safe care of children and good governance. An action plan request was issued. This inspection was conducted to follow up on the action plan request and conduct a full inspection of the health and social care children received.
During this inspection, we looked at 25 quality statements. Although the provider had made progress and we saw no evidence of harm, the provider was still in breach of regulation 12 safe care and treatment and regulation 17 good governance. Therefore, we have issued a new action plan request and will continue to monitor progress with this.
During this inspection we found caring and committed staff but some weaknesses in healthcare delivery were identified. We saw incomplete care records, missed interventions, poor medicines management, delays in mental health care, and lack of timely health assessments. Care planning was inconsistent, with many children lacking person-centred plans. Despite these issues, safeguarding was robust, infection control effective, and staffing levels improving with new roles such as assistant psychologists enhancing outcomes. Leadership was strong and responsive, but governance, risk oversight, and care systems require improvement to ensure safe, timely, and effective care.
DrPA Secure was a new provider, in place since 1 May 2025. They were implementing a revised service specification, however the associated changes were still in their infancy.
We do not currently rate services provided in secure training centres. We highlight good practice and issues that service providers need to improve and take regulatory action as necessary.