About this location
Located in Royston, Hertfordshire, within a purpose-built facility and spacious grounds, Priory Hospital Kneesworth House is a high dependency rehabilitation unit which provides a range of specialist recovery pathways, all at one site. The hospital also provides acute and psychiatric intensive care, medium and low secure services, and a community-focused rehabilitation ward.
Services at a glance
Contact us
Priory Kneesworth House Hospital Bassingbourn-cum-Kneesworth Royston Hertfordshire SG8 5JP
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Services
Our acute services offer round-the-clock assistance in times of emergencies. Our specialist inpatient acute teams are committed to providing the highest quality of care, supporting patients with a wide range of mental health conditions in safe and highly therapeutic environments.
Ward break down
- Bourn – 15-bedded ward for 10 females and 5 males
Conditions treated
We are able to support people with complex mental health needs, including:
- Personality disorders
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Bipolar disorder
- Psychosis
- Self-harm
- Schizophrenia
Each person is assessed on a case-by-case basis, prior to admission.
Treatment approaches
At Kneesworth, we offer an individualised, person-centred approach to all of our patients.
Our main goal is the assessment and stabilisation of people to allow them to return home as soon as they are able.
Our assessment and treatment options are overseen by a full and diverse multidisciplinary team (MDT).
We offer:
- Positive behaviour support (PBS)
- Occupational therapy (OT)
- Music therapy
- Mindfulness
- ‘Hope and connection’ group for suicidality and low mood (referral only)
- Building resilience and positive habits
- Psychoeducation
- Reflective spaces
People within our service tend to stay with us on a short-term basis.
Our team
Our team consists of:
- Psychiatrists
- Psychologist
- Nurses
- Occupational therapists (OT)
Therapeutic and community-based activities
We offer a range of therapeutic and community-based activities as part of a full treatment programme. We want to support people to become more confident and independent, preparing them to move through their treatment pathway towards community living.
Our therapeutic and community-based activities include OT and psychology.
Our facilities and environment
We believe that the environment in which treatment takes place is just as important as the treatment itself, when it comes to supporting our patients. We provide:
Our garden offers secure fencing, a patio area with furniture, a lawn, sensory items, shelter and planting areas. We also have specialised equipment within the hospital, such as bean bags, for people to use.
Our bedrooms
Patients are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms while they are staying with us.
Exclusion profile
- People under the age of 18
- History of absconsion
- History of arson
Pathways
Priory’s network of high-quality facilities enables us to offer joined-up care pathways with our dedicated residential services. We offer programmes which integrate healthcare treatment and therapy, which are tailored according to individual needs, in an appropriate setting. Our strength is that we can provide a seamless transition for the individual as they progress between higher and lower dependency services.
Everyone within our acute service is considered for a transition to Priory Adult Care services from admission onwards.
Our comprehensive rehabilitation services provide support for people with complex mental health needs. We align our services with the recommendations of the Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health (JCPMH), ensuring our patients are given the highest quality care to enable an appropriate transition back home or into community services, wherever possible.
Ward break down
- Wortham – 17-bedded ward for males
- Nightingale – 17-bedded ward for male
- Fairview – 6-bedded ward for females
Conditions treated
We are able to support people with the following challenges:
- Severe and enduring mental health needs
- Personality disorders
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Bipolar disorder
- Psychosis
- Self-harm
- Sexual offending
- Substance misuse
Treatment approaches
At Kneesworth, we offer an individualised, person-centred approach to all of our patients.
We provide gender-specific rehabilitation services and bespoke packages of care, with a key focus on developing skills for independence, supporting people to understand their own relapse prevention strategies and reintegration back into community settings.
Our assessment and treatment options are overseen by a full and diverse MDT.
We offer:
- PBS
- OT
- Music therapy
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
- Art therapy
- Mindfulness
- Trauma informed therapy
- Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)
- Schema therap
- Compassion focused therapy (CFT)
- Mindfulness
- Substance misuse treatment
- Offence-specific intervention, when required
- Mental health awareness/Psycho-education
- Trauma informed therapy
- Hearing voices peer support group
People within our service tend to stay with us on a transitional and long-term basis.
Our team
Our team consists of a full MDT.
Therapeutic and community-based activities
We offer a range of therapeutic and community-based activities as part of a full treatment programme. We want to support people to become more confident and independent, preparing them to move through their treatment pathway towards community living.
Our therapeutic and community-based activities include:
- Daily living skills
- Real life work experience
- Exercise classes
- Trips out, following risk assessment
Our facilities and environment
We believe that the environment in which treatment takes place is just as important as the treatment itself, when it comes to supporting our patients. We provide:
Our garden offers secure fencing, a patio area with furniture, a lawn, football pitch, shelter and planting areas. We also have specialised equipment within the hospital, such as bean bags, for people to use.
Our bedrooms
Patients are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms while they are staying with us. We provide:
Exclusion profile
- People under the age of 18
Pathways
Priory’s network of high-quality facilities enables us to offer joined-up care pathways with our dedicated residential services. We offer programmes which integrate healthcare treatment and therapy, which are tailored according to individual needs, in an appropriate setting. Our strength is that we can provide a seamless transition for the individual as they progress between higher and lower dependency services.
All R&R patients ready for step-down are considered for our Priory Adult Care services. This is always relayed to the commissioning team as an option.
Our secure services offer comprehensive support to people with complex mental health needs. We model our service provision on the NHS secure service specification for medium and low secure services, ensuring our patients are given the highest quality of care to enable quick and smooth transitions into local services, wherever possible. We are committed to delivering clinically effective, evidence-based treatment programmes for individuals who require secure care, providing both psychological and physical security.
Ward break down
- Ermine – 18-bedded medium secure ward for adults with a mental health diagnosis
- Clopton – 12-bedded ward for adults with a personality disorder
- Orwell – 12-bedded low secure ward for adults with a mental health diagnosis
Conditions treated
We are able to support people with the following challenges:
- Complex mental health needs
- Behaviours that challenge
- Severe and enduring mental health needs
- Personality disorders
- Psychosis
- Offence related behaviour
- Self-harm
- Substance misuse
Treatment approaches
At Kneesworth House, we offer an individualised, person-centred approach to all of our patients.
Our main goal is the assessment and stabilisation of people to allow them to return home as soon as they are able. We offer a wide range of clinical therapies, based on individual needs and assessment. Therapies are delivered both individually and on a group basis.
Our assessment and treatment options are overseen by a full and diverse MDT.
We offer:
- PBS
- CBT
- CAT
- Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)
- OT
- ACT
- IPT
- Music therapy
- Art therapy
- Mindfulness
- Family therapy
- Trauma informed therapy
- Schema therapy
- Substance misuse treatment programme
- Psycho-educational and skill-enhancing group programmes
- Compassion focused therapy (CFT)
- Psycho-educational and skill-enhancing group programmes
- Offence focussed interventions (including harmful sexual behaviour, fire setting, violence, stalking)
- Hearing voices peer support group
People within our service tend to stay with us on a long-term basis.
Our team
Our team consists of a full MDT.
Therapeutic and community-based activities
We offer a range of therapeutic and community-based activities as part of a full treatment programme. We want to support people to become more confident and independent, preparing them to move through their treatment pathway towards community living.
Our therapeutic and community-based activities including:
- Daily living skills
- Real life work experience
- Exercise classes
- Community leave or grounds leave
Our facilities and environment
We believe that the environment in which treatment takes place is just as important as the treatment itself, when it comes to supporting our patients. We provide:
Our garden offers secure fencing, a patio area with furniture, a lawn, and planting areas. We also have specialised equipment within the hospital, for people to use.
Our bedrooms
Patients are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms while they are staying with us. We provide:
Exclusion profile
People under the age of 18.
Pathways
Priory’s network of high-quality facilities enables us to offer joined-up care pathways with our dedicated residential services. We offer programmes which integrate healthcare treatment and therapy, which are tailored according to individual needs, in an appropriate setting. Our strength is that we can provide a seamless transition for the individual as they progress between higher and lower dependency services.
People within our secure services are considered for step-down into our R&R service, or into a Priory Adult Care service, as appropriate.
Our PICU services have been designed to support people in a severe phase of illness, who cannot be managed in acute services. Our dedicated PICU services place us at the forefront of specialised intensive care, and our highly trained teams can support people with complex needs and behaviours that challenge, along with co-existing issues (such as substance misuse).
Ward break down
- Wimpole - 12-bedded ward for females
Conditions treated
We are able to support people who present with significant and continued risk to themselves or others, and have a high absconding risk in non-secure environments.
Treatment approaches
At Kneesworth, we offer an individualised, person-centred approach to all of our patients.
This service is an emergency ward, operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Patients can be admitted from A&E, the judicial system, other PICUs, community services and other mental health settings.
Community and home leave is encouraged following risk assessment. Our main goal is the assessment and stabilisation of patients.
Our assessment and treatment options are overseen by a full and diverse MDT.
We offer:
- Mindfulness
- PBS
- OT
People within our service tend to stay with us on a short-term basis, and the therapies we offer are tailored accordingly. We take a trauma-informed approach and have developed a bespoke PICU group therapy programme, which draws on ACT, mindfulness, CBT and DBT. We also undertake PBS work or more detailed assessments of mental health needs, where appropriate..
Our team
Our team consists of a full MDT.
Therapeutic and community-based activities
We offer a range of therapeutic and community-based activities as part of a full treatment programme. We want to support people to become more confident and independent, preparing them to move through their treatment pathway towards community living.
Our facilities and environment
We believe that the environment in which treatment takes place is just as important as the treatment itself, when it comes to supporting our patients. We provide:
Our garden offers secure fencing, a patio area with furniture, a lawn, shelter and planting areas. We also have specialised equipment within the hospital, such as bean bags, for people to use.
Our bedrooms
All of our bedrooms are single-occupancy and have an en-suite bathroom. Patients are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms while they are staying with us. We provide:
Exclusion profile
People under the age of 18.
Pathways
Priory’s network of high-quality facilities enables us to offer joined-up care pathways with our dedicated residential services. We offer programmes which integrate healthcare treatment and therapy, which are tailored according to individual needs, in an appropriate setting. Our strength is that we can provide a seamless transition for the individual as they progress between higher and lower dependency services.
At Kneesworth House, we provide BTPs for autistic people and people with a learning disability. Individuals may present with complex and challenging needs, including aggression and sensory issues, and may benefit from the time and space to learn how to self-regulate their own emotions.
The core aim of our BTPs is to offer an environment with the least restrictive practices, where patients who are struggling in a group environment can develop their independence skills, enabling them to transition to community living, when possible.
For more information on Priory’s BTPs, view our dedicated BTP page.
BTP break down:
- 4 bungalows and Swift House – BTPs for adults within our R&R service
A message from our site leader
Across all our services at Kneesworth, we have created a culture based on quality care for better patient outcomes. We continue to work with our NHS partners to deliver consistent mental health services and innovate to meet patient demand for services
Kneesworth site leader
Comments from our patients and their family and friends
I felt staff treated me very respectfully at all times, even when I was distressed or I didn't make sense. Communication and relationships were excellent
Information for family and friends
How do home visits work?
Home visits are actively encouraged and we help to arrange them for people staying with us and their families, subject to risk assessment.
What is your visitation policy?
We are flexible with visiting times. However, we do ask that visits are organised in advance, to make sure that they don’t clash with therapy or an outing.
Will I be involved and kept up to date with my loved one’s care and wellbeing?
Yes, we make every effort to keep the loved ones of our residents involved in their care. We promote family and friends’ involvement.
Will my loved one be able to have a phone or call me?
People staying with us may be allowed to use their own mobile phone, following a risk assessment. Patients are also able to use the telephone on the ward.
What type of things are families expected to provide, and what is provided by the home?
We provide all furnishings, bedding and food on-site. Patients just need to bring their own personal belongings.
What are the bedrooms like?
All of our bedrooms are furnished, and are single person, en-suite rooms.
Are external doors kept locked?
All of our external doors are locked. However, every person staying with us will be individually assessed for any risks to see what security is needed.
What do service users eat and how do meal times work?
We provide three set meals a day and all dietary requirements are catered for. Snacks are also available outside of mealtimes.
How does laundry work?
We manage the laundry for the site but we encourage people staying with us to do their own as part of daily living skills.
Is there anything they can’t bring or have?
We have a restricted and prohibited items list, which is reviewed and updated regularly. This can be seen on request.
Are pets allowed?
Yes, pets are allowed to visit as long as they are kept under control by visitors. We also have a small farm where people can actively look after the animals.
How do activities work?
Everyone staying with us has a tailored activities programme, which is regularly reviewed by the MDT, with input from the patient and their family members.
Do service users and families have an input into the service user’s care plans?
All of the people staying with us and their families/friends are invited to be actively involved in care planning.
What are the car parking facilities?
There is free car parking on-site.
What is the smoking policy? Can service users buy cigarettes?
Kneesworth is a non-smoking site. Vaping is allowed in the bedrooms or in designated areas.
How is treatment accessed and funded?
We don’t take referrals directly from individuals and families. Instead, the first step will be for you to reach out to the person’s GP so that they can be referred and funded through the correct NHS channel. Depending on the type of support needed, this could include local authority funding, NHS funding, joint funding between the local authority and NHS, or direct payments. Please note, referrals for NHS or local authority funded services must come from a referring organisation.
How to make a referral
Our customer service centre provides 24/7 support for NHS mental health enquiries and referrals. Our customer referral co-ordinators can support you from your first call right through to the enquiry conclusion, providing updates throughout the process. We offer 24/7 crisis referrals, fast access to bed availability and placements, and a single access point for end-to-end enquiry management.