- Results align strongly with ambitions of 10-Year Health Plan
- 89% of adult care services and 84.4% of healthcare services rated ‘good’ or better by regulators – above sector average
- Measurable improvement in mental health outcomes including anxiety, depression and psychosis
Priory, the UK’s largest independent provider of mental health, addiction and working-age adult social care services, has reported significant progress in clinical outcomes, safety, co-production and staff engagement across its national network of services.
The organisation, which cares for more than 26,000 people a year across 280 sites, has published a range of findings in its latest quality account (2024–25), with results strongly aligning with ambitions outlined in the government’s Fit for the Future: the 10-Year Health Plan for England published earlier this month.
In its healthcare division, 83% of services were rated ‘Good’ or better by independent regulators (now at 84.4%), which is above the sector average for equivalent services.
More than half of patients in acute and specialist settings now have paired patient and clinician-reported outcome data which show measurable improvement in mental health conditions including anxiety, depression and psychosis.
Paired outcomes record how someone is feeling and functioning when they begin their treatment and again when they leave - with some information collected directly from the person themselves (called PROMs) and some recorded by clinicians (CROMs).
Mechanical restraint – which is the use of devices to restrict movement as a last resort to stop a person in crisis harming themselves or others – was eliminated in the final quarter of the year due to effective early intervention and de-escalation.
Additionally, average seclusion durations – where a patient is temporarily separated from others for their own safety and the safety of others – fell by more than 80% thanks to the same interventions and further action to reduce trauma.
In Priory’s adult care division, 89% of services were rated ‘good’ or better, with 90% of residents reporting satisfaction with staff support. Priory has also embedded Outcomes Star, a tool to enable residents to set and track personalised goals around wellbeing, independence and inclusion, across supported living and residential care.
Investments in assistive technology – such as seizure monitors, doors sensors and alarms and falls detection – is enhancing both safety and dignity, along with better emergency preparedness.
The organisation has also made co-production – working alongside current and former patients and residents – central to its governance processes, with 17 Lived Experience Partners now contributing to service design, peer reviews, training and national working groups.
This supports a culture of accountability and inclusion, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan’s commitment to embedding the service user voice.
Workforce improvements have also continued, with staff turnover down by 45% since 2022 and staff engagement scores reaching a record 78% – a 20-point increase in just three years. In healthcare, 98% of colleagues reported feeling confident speaking up through the organisation’s Freedom to Speak Up programme.
“We have seen significant progress across several areas in both healthcare and adult care over the past year, demonstrating what is possible when compassionate care is backed by strong values, data, lived experience and a stable workforce.
“Priory is proud to support national efforts to create a more preventative, person-led and digitally connected health and care system and these results highlight how our work is already aligning with the ambitions of the 10-Year Health Plan – and is delivering for patients and residents.”
In line with the 10-Year Health Plan’s system-wide approach, Priory continues to invest in NHS-commissioned capacity, digital infrastructure, trauma-informed care and affordable addiction treatment – offering joined-up, high-impact support across communities.