- Prison healthcare
HMP YOI Rochester
We have served a Section 29A warning notice against Oxleas NHS Trust on 16th January 2026 for breaches in relation to Regulation 12 for HMP Rochester.
Assessment report published 21 August 2025
Contents
Judgements
Our view of the service
HMP YOI Rochester is a Category C, male adult training and resettlement prison. The prison is located in Rochester. The healthcare services are provided by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.
We carried out a joint inspection with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) in August 2024, where we found the quality of primary healthcare and medicines required improvement. We issued an action plan request in relation to breaches of regulation found relating to safe care and treatment, complaints, governance and staffing.
The purpose of this focused assessment was to determine if the provider was now meeting the legal requirements of the relevant regulations. At this assessment, we assessed 8 quality statements across the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions. We found some improvements had been made but more work needed to be done.
At this assessment, we found 3 breaches of regulation. The provider remained in breach of the legal regulation in relation to regulation 12, safe care and treatment, regulation 18, staffing and regulation 17 governance. The provider was found compliant in relation to the previous breach of regulation for complaints.
We do not currently rate services provided in prisons. We highlight good practice and issues that service providers need to improve and take regulatory action as necessary.