Priory Hospital Arnold

Winner of the 2020 APT-RAID Award for Excellence in Working with Challenging Behaviour.

Priory Hospital Calverton Hill has now relaunched as Priory Hospital Arnold. We are also pleased to announce that we have now opened a new Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) for females over 18 years of age, along with a new male PICU. In addition, there will be additional mixed-gender acute service availability.

Priory Hospital Arnold, near Nottingham, provides acute and psychiatric intensive care services to those in need across Nottinghamshire. We work closely with referring Trusts to achieve minimum lengths of stay, and are able to provide an extension to NHS care pathways during times of fluctuating demand.

The service offers a multidisciplinary team approach, working collaboratively to support patients through periods of crisis. The wards work closely with patients to promote wellbeing and recovery to ensure the patient remains central to their care. We also work with patients and their families to assess and identify health, social and support needs. We have an overarching philosophy of care that is based on Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) to promote wellbeing and recovery.

Our multidisciplinary team consists of Psychiatrists, a Nursing Team, and a Therapies Team consisting of Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Social Work, and Wellbeing Activity Workers.

Acute Service

The acute service comprises of two adult mixed-gender wards providing a comfortable and calm atmosphere that promotes recovery and wellbeing. Newstead and Bestwood wards both provide 16 beds for patients who require support in an acute setting for their mental health needs and / or personality disorders. There may also be co-morbid issues such as substance misuse.

Patients receiving acute treatment may be either admitted informally or if necessary, detained under the Mental Health Act. An admission for acute treatment must be confirmed as being the least restrictive option for patients, in order for them to receive the necessary treatment with the safest management of risks to themselves or others.

Lengths of stay vary, and are dependent upon individual need and response to treatment. We continually liaise with local NHS services to ensure that there is the effective transition of care on discharge or transfer.

The services would be suitable for:

• Men or women aged 18 years or over experiencing an acute episode or are in crisis

• Informal or detained under the Mental Health Act 1983

• Rapid assessment and admission, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week

• Those who fail to engage with local mental health teams and require a period of stabilisation

• Individuals who require further assessment or treatment

• People who may present risks to themselves or others

• Patients may be admitted from A&E, psychiatric intensive care units (PICUs), community services and other mental health settings

• People who have a primary diagnosis of mental illness, there may also be co-morbid mental disorders such as substance misuse

Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit - (PICU)

Priory's experience of supporting people with complex needs and challenging behaviours, along with co-existing issues (such as substance misuse), puts our new services at the forefront of specialised intensive care. Our psychiatric intensive care services support patients in a severe phase of illness, who cannot be supported in an acute inpatient setting.

The PICU service offers a therapeutic and supportive environment to promote recovery. Rufford ward provides 10 female beds, and Clumber ward provides 10 male beds, for patients who require urgent admission into a structured environment to manage their mental health needs. The ward provides large spacious single gender accommodation, therapy and activity space, with open access to fresh air via the secure gardens. The ward has access to seclusion facilities should it be necessary.

Typical lengths of stay vary, and are dependent upon individual need and response to treatment. The focus is to move patients to the least restrictive environment once mental state and behaviour have stabilised. We continually liaise with local NHS services to ensure that there is the effective transition of care on discharge or transfer.

The services would be suitable for:

• Males aged 18 years or over in need of psychiatric intensive care who are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983
• Individuals with a wide range of mental health conditions in need of rapid assessment and admission, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week
• Individuals at risk of violence and aggression, whose behaviour may be unpredictable
• Those who present significant and continued risk to themselves or others, and who have a high absconsion risk in acute inpatient settings
• Patients may be admitted from A&E, acute services, other PICUs, police custody, community services and the community