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“Positive and committed staff” found at St Catherine’s Priory Approved Premises, rated ‘Good’

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St Catherine’s Priory Approved Premises (AP) in Guildford, South East has received an overall rating of ‘Good’ following an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

Chief Inspector of Probation, Martin Jones, said: “St Catherine’s Priory is a welcoming service. Leadership had a positive attitude, and staff were respectful, diligent and committed to their roles. The service was unfortunately hampered by staffing challenges, and I again call on His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to urgently complete the review of staffing, resourcing and recruitment procedures for APs.”

As we have seen in other inspections of Approved Premises, St Catherine’s Priory had some staffing challenges which had impacted the AP’s ability to deliver a full rehabilitative offer. With this staff shortage, managers had rightly prioritised safety and public protection, but there was now a need to strengthen support to reduce reoffending. Some issues, such as access to mental health services needed to be addressed to improve the resident experience.

Public protection was found to be strong, with robust enforcement decisions and recording in all relevant cases inspected. Inspectors also found some good practice in relation to information sharing and joint working with probation practitioners, with staff being proactive in communicating with probation delivery units.

The Inspectorate’s report makes seven recommendations. Three are for St Catherine’s Priory leadership team, including to maximise external agency involvement to deliver a planned and structured programme of rehabilitative activities. Four recommendations are for HMPPS, including to urgently complete the review of staffing, resourcing and recruitment procedures for APs to promote safe and rehabilitative practice

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. St Catherine’s Priory is a public sector AP.
  3. At the start of our inspection in October 2025, St Catherine’s Priory had 13 residents but this number fluctuated during the week.
  4. 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.
  5. The report is available on the HM Inspectorate of Probation website on 17 December 2025 at 00.01.
  6. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth justice and probation services across England and Wales.
  7. Fieldwork for this inspection took place in October 2025.
  8. For media enquiries, please contact Head of Communications: media@hmiprobation.gov.uk