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Inspectors find “challenging circumstances” at Trent House Approved Premises, rated ‘Requires improvement’ following inspection

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Trent House Approved Premises (AP) in Nottingham has received an overall rating of ‘Requires improvement’ following an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

Chief Inspector of Probation, Martin Jones, said: “We recognise that Trent House was operating in challenging circumstances at the time of this inspection, having been without a substantive manager for an extended period. Despite this, we found a committed and resilient staff group who were working hard to maintain service delivery.”

At Trent House, inspectors found some strengths in the way staff managed risk, safeguarded residents, and maintained a safe environment. Medication management was strong and practitioners displayed a good knowledge of the residents.

However, prolonged staffing shortages and management instability had impacted the quality and consistency of service delivery. Staffing pressures had also reduced the AP’s ability to deliver a sufficient rehabilitative programme, and weaknesses were found in information sharing, case recording, keywork and the use of partnership interventions.

Mr Jones continued, “The foundations for improvement at Trent House are in place. Leaders should now focus on strengthening governance, restoring quality assurance, and ensuring residents receive a more consistent and purposeful rehabilitative service.”

The Inspectorate’s report makes nine recommendations. Seven are for Trent House leadership team, including to ensure formal supervision and management oversight are delivered consistently and to strengthen quality assurance activity. Two recommendations are for His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, including to improve the effectiveness of recruitment, onboarding and vetting processes to reduce delays in filling AP vacancies.

ENDS 

Notes to editor 

  1. Approved Premises (APs) are residential units which provide temporary placements in the community for high-risk and complex people on probation. They offer enhanced supervision and rehabilitative support to individuals following release from prison.
  2. At the time of our inspection in June 2026, Trent House had 19 male residents in placement.
  3. The Inspectorate uses a four-point scale: ‘Outstanding’, ‘Good’, ‘Requires improvement’ and ‘Inadequate’, rating specific aspects of each service (for APs – leadership, staffing, safety, public protection, and rehabilitation) and giving an overall rating.
  4. The report is available on the HM Inspectorate of Probation website on 12 August 2026 at 00.01.
  5. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth justice and probation services across England and Wales.
  6. For media enquiries, please contact Head of Communications: media@hmiprobation.gov.uk