The staff have worked very hard. They deserve the praise for what has been a difficult time for them

Paul Norbury, Buckley Hall governor

Sir David said: "Buckley Hall had achieved much in less than a year under public service management, particularly as the period between Group 4 losing the contract and the Prison Service team taking over had been so fraught.

"It had been the first occasion that an existing prison had changed management in this way and therefore there were always likely to be some inherent difficulties.

Under a new 10-year �30m contract, a management team from the Prison Service was installed to take over the running of the category C jail.

In his report, Sir David said he had made it his practice not to inspect new prisons until they had been in operation for two years.

He said he had made an exception out of Buckley Hall because he had heard "good things" about the Prison Service management and was anxious to publicise them.

Future lessons

Sir David also outlined lessons to be learned during any future handover process.

"Prisons contain prisoners, who will be there whoever is running them," he said.

"There should be nothing 'commercial in confidence' about their treatment or conditions, nor should staff caring for them be allowed to feel uncertain about their own future."

Sir David noted that some aspects of Group 4's practice had continued, including the "admirable" Housing Action Centre to help inmates on their release from prison.

Inspectors visited the prison in June

Of the 200 full-time Group 4 staff at the prison, 95% had continued with their jobs under the new regime.

Paul Norbury, governor of Buckley Hall said: "We are pleased with the report. I think we have been able to build on what Group 4 handed over to us.

"The staff have worked very hard. They deserve the praise for what has been a difficult time for them."

Buckley Hall opened in 1994 as the first privately-run category C establishment and holds 385 inmates