Priory hospital rated ‘outstanding’ by regulator

Status means the service is within the top 8% of mental health hospitals in the country 

• “All patients” inspectors spoke with said “their lives had improved since coming to Priory,” according to new report  
• Patients describe “being given another chance, when others had given up on them, to live their best life” 
• Priory Hospital Newbury in Berkshire is a high dependency mental health hospital for people with an enduring mental health illness 
• The inspection report has been released by independent regulators, the Care Quality Commission  

Priory Hospital Newbury in Berkshire has been rated ‘outstanding’ by regulators the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in a new report.  

“Without exception, all patients spoken with said their lives had improved since coming to Priory Hospital Newbury,” say inspectors in their report, adding that patients described “being given ‘another chance’, when others had given up on them, to live their best life.” 

The rating, which is the highest available, means the specialist mental health hospital is among the highest performing service of its kind in the country, with only 8% of mental health services awarded the ‘outstanding’ rating.

Priory Hospital Newbury is a high dependency rehabilitation service for individuals with enduring mental illness working towards living life back in the community. It supports patients who require a high level of care and intensive therapeutic support. 

The Priory Hospital Newbury team

Priory is the UK’s leading independent provider of mental health and rehabilitation services, supporting NHS and private patients across the UK.  

CQC inspectors, who visited Priory Hospital Newbury for an unannounced inspection in November 2023, said that “without exception, all staff were passionate, committed, put patients at the centre of all they did, strived for excellence and enjoyed working at the hospital.” 

The report also praises the leadership and governance at the hospital, the culture, the dedication of the staff, treatments and care plans, and multi-disciplinary team working, saying:  

“Staff developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. They provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of the patients cared for in a mental health rehabilitation hospital.

“Staff developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. They provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of the patients.

“There was a collaborative approach to care delivery. Every member of staff… understood every aspect of the care that each patient required.

“Good relationships had been developed with the local community and wider community which supported patients to access a wide range of activities and amenities. 

“All areas of the hospital were immaculately clean and well maintained. Patients had access to a large garden which provided good facilities. For example, a pool room, gazebo, BBQ, sporting facilities, seating areas, summer houses, a planting shed and small allotment plot. 

“The hospital was well led, and senior leaders were knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced. Governance systems and processes were robust and ensured the smooth running of the hospital.” 

Trudi Pheasant, hospital director, said: “I’m extremely proud of the team here at Priory Hospital Newbury for the difference they are making to our patients’ lives. I am particularly touched by the comments in the report made by our patients; I was almost reduced to tears hearing what they said to the inspectors. This is what makes us tick and motivates us to keep doing what we do, inspiring us to always do better for them. It's a lovely, lovely way to end our very busy year!  

Rebekah Cresswell, Priory chief executive officer, said: “We’re extremely pleased to see inspectors recognise the important, life-changing work being delivered by a passionate, expert team at Priory Hospital Newbury. Our purpose at Priory is to support people to live their best possible life; so we’re especially proud to read the patient testimony in this report, confirming the enormous impact our team is making on the people we support.” 

ENDS

Contact: [email protected]

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 the MEDIAN Group, one of Europe’s leading providers of high quality mental health and rehabilitation services. The MEDIAN Group comprises 290 facilities with 5,000 beds caring for 28,000 people in the UK, 120 facilities with 20,000 beds caring for around 250,000 patients in Germany, and 15 facilities with 2,000 beds caring for 13,000 people in Spain, with more than 29,000 employees overall.