• Quality Network for Eating Disorders (QED) accreditation has been awarded to Aspen and Cedar wards at Priory Hospital Cheadle Royal
• ‘Accreditation assures staff, service users, carers, commissioners and regulators of the quality of the service being provided’ say Royal College of Psychiatrists
• People with first-hand experience of using eating disorder services involved in all stages of the accreditation process

Priory Hospital Cheadle Royal has been recognised for ‘high standards of organisation and patient care’ in its eating disorder services.

The Cheshire hospital’s two specialist eating disorder wards have received the Quality Network for Eating Disorders (QED) accreditation from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

“Accreditation assures staff, service users and carers, commissioners and regulators of the quality of the service being provided,” according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Aspen and Cedar Wards at Priory Hospital Cheadle Royal received the accreditation, through a process which includes input, at all stages, from people with first hand experience of using eating disorders services.

Kate Herod, Hospital Director at Priory Hospital Cheadle Royal, said: “Eating disorders are a serious mental illness, affecting more than 1.25 million people in the UK. There is evidence to suggest the UK is experiencing a rise in people suffering with eating disorders, and we’ve certainly witnessed that through the high demand for our services.

 “We’re proud of the specialist team who have worked hard to deliver these high standards for patients. It’s important that people have confidence in the quality and safety of the support they’re receiving, so this accreditation is a valuable stamp of approval.”

The QED accreditation process includes a comprehensive assessment of the service, including a review of accessibility of the service for commissioners and referrers, as well as the admission process for patients, where staff ensure patients feel welcome in hospital.

The assessment includes reviews of the hospital environment and facilities, ensuring wards provide a safe environment for staff and patients; the equipment and procedures for dealing with emergencies; and the services’ core multi-disciplinary teams, with a assessment of staffing levels and staff induction, training, performance and wellbeing.

Care planning, patient and carer involvement in treatment, medication systems, food, information sharing, and clinical outcome measurement systems were all assessed and judged to meet the high accreditation standards.

Priory is the UK's largest independent provider of eating disorder services, with nationwide provision of both outpatient and specialist residential services, as well as day care provisions at selected locations.

Priory Hospital Cheadle Royal offers a range of inpatient mental health services for young people and adults, including a 29-bed service for males and females diagnosed with a severe eating disorder.

ENDS

Note to editors:

Contact: communications@priorygroup.com

About Priory and MEDIAN

Priory is the UK’s leading independent provider of mental health services. We treat more than 70 conditions including depression, anxiety, addictions, and eating disorders, as well as children’s mental health, across our nationwide network of sites. We also support autistic adults and adults with a learning disability, Prader-Willi Syndrome and brain injuries, as well as older people, within our specialist residential care and supported living facilities– helping as many people as possible to live their lives.

Priory is part of MEDIAN, one of Europe’s leading providers of high-quality mental health and rehabilitation services. Overall, there are facilities in the MEDIAN Group, comprising 290 Priory facilities with 5,000 beds in the United Kingdom caring for 28,000 people, and 120 facilities and 20,000 beds and therapy places in Germany, caring for around 230,000 patients, with more than 27,000 employees overall. 

MEDIAN manages patients who have experienced symptoms of COVID-19, and/or Long COVID, and shares information for medical professionals at: www.long-covid.de