Priory has received positive feedback on its leadership, governance and culture in a recent CQC report, following a well-led inspection last September.

The report noted that many of the colleagues the CQC inspectors met were proud to work for Priory, and spoke positively about our CEO, Rebekah Cresswell, and the changes she has put in place since her appointment in November 2021. 

The CQC confirmed that while there are some areas for us to improve in – we are mostly aware of them and have already begun to introduce changes.

Rebekah said: “I am pleased to see that our strong governance structures and clear lines of accountability have been recognised in this report – as well as how we are driving a culture of constructive, professional challenge and discussion with the appointment of our two non-executive directors – our two non-executive directors, Dr Olu-Segun Olasode and Heather Tierney-Moore OBE.

“It’s wonderful to hear that many of our colleagues speak positively of working for Priory, and know their hard work is recognised and feel they have opportunities to share best practice.”

The CQC report also highlights the methods Priory has to identify areas and services that need additional input and support to improve quality of care. It talks about our strong relationships with the commissioners of our services as an active partner in 22 provider collaboratives across the country, and praises the availability of our learning and development opportunities.

In response to feedback on our staff turnover, Rebekah said: “Like other health and social care providers, we understand the impact staff turnover has on quality of care. I’m pleased that we’re managing to increase our net headcount of permanent staff, and have plans in place to help us retain our colleagues, including enhancing our pay and reward packages, and putting an even greater emphasis on embedding an open, inclusive culture where people feel like they belong. Our turnover has reduced month on month for the last seven months, so we are moving in the right direction.”

Other areas highlighted in the report where improvements are underway include:

• Speaking up: making sure colleagues are aware of our Freedom to Speak Up Guardians – one of the mechanisms at Priory they can use to raise concerns
• Organisational strategy engagement: ensuring our colleagues understand our direction of travel for the next three years and have the opportunity to feed into our plans (Since the inspection, we have completed an initial engagement phase with our colleagues and gathered insights that feed into our strategy)
• Co-production: strengthening how we involve users of our services and their families/carers so that we design care, treatment and support that meets their needs

As an independent care provider, Priory does not receive a rating from the CQC. You can read the CQC report here.