The Priory Hospital Chelmsford

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• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

This means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained as good.

Staff assessed the physical and mental health of all patients on admission. They developed individual care plans which were reviewed regularly through multidisciplinary discussion and updated as needed. Staff provided a range of treatment and care for patients based on national guidance and best practice. The ward team included or had access to the full range of specialists required to meet the needs of patients on the ward. Staff from different disciplines worked together as a team to benefit patients. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Health Act Code of Practice and discharged these well.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

We looked at 6 care records during the inspection across the wards. Staff assessed the physical and mental health of all patients on admission. Staff developed care plans that met the needs identified during assessment and these were reviewed regularly through multidisciplinary discussion and updated as needed.

Care plans were comprehensive, personalised, holistic, and recovery oriented. They included specific details to meet patients’ physical health needs that required intensive monitoring, such as blood level checks and referrals to specialists. For example, one care plan was developed to support a patient progressing through gender transitioning, ensuring relevant needs were addressed.

Staff provided a range of treatment and care for patients based on national guidance and best practice. The ward team included or had access to the full range of specialists required to meet the needs of patients on the ward.

Patients were involved in care planning, and we saw evidence of patient views in records.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Health Act Code of Practice and discharged these well

Patients were typically admitted to Chelmer and Danbury wards with acute mental health conditions, while Springfield ward primarily supported patients with eating disorders. Staff provided a range of care and treatment interventions suitable for the patient group. Care and treatment involved those recommended by, and delivered in line with, guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). These included medication and psychological therapies, therapeutic activities, and some training and work opportunities intended to help patients acquire living skills.

Staff ensured that patients had good access to on- going physical healthcare and annual physical health checks, including access to specialists when needed. Patients on Springfield Ward received a dietitian assessment upon admission to ensure they were provided with meal plans appropriate to their individual dietary needs. These were reviewed and updated regularly by the multi-disciplinary staff team. Staff supported and monitored patients during mealtimes. However, we received feedback from a stakeholder expressing concern regarding the recent remote access to a dietician which had led to some instances of miscommunication with ward staff. Managers were recruiting into this position to ensure they were also able to provide face to face access to a dietician.

Patients on Springfield Ward received a Recovery and Well-being Book, co-produced with individuals who had lived experience of eating disorders. The resource included personal recovery stories and supportive interventions, to promote well-being among current patients.

Patients on Springfield Ward had access to 2 designated rooms on the ward where meals and snacks were supported by staff. In addition, a separate dining room was made available specifically for patients with eating disorders, providing them with the privacy, space, and tailored support needed during mealtimes.

A dedicated treatment room was also available for patients requiring nasogastric (NG) tube feeding and other treatments related to their eating disorder care.

Staff assessed and met patients’ needs for food and drink and for specialist nutrition and hydration. We saw care plans referring to specialist support with diabetes on Danbury ward.

Staff used the national early warning score (NEWS) to assess and track the severity of physical health symptoms and deterioration in patients.

Occupational therapy staff completed functional, community, vocational and sensory assessments of patients on admission to understand their needs, their level of independence and confidence, and to provide relevant plans and strategies to support them. We saw evidence of staff supporting patients with life skills and building their confidence in accessing the community.

Staff were experienced and qualified and had the right skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the patient group. Managers provided new staff with appropriate induction. Topics covered a wide range of areas to ensure staff understood the service, how to ensure safety and meet the needs of the patient group.

NICE recommends that people with an acute exacerbation or recurrence of psychosis or schizophrenia should be offered oral antipsychotic medication in conjunction with psychological interventions. Records showed that care and treatment was consistent with this guidance. Staff offered cognitive-behavioural therapy for psychosis at the hospital. Staff monitored patients on antipsychotic medicines, including high doses, to ensure good physical health.

Additionally, the service offered a range of other group and one-to-one evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy and transactional analysis. The service also offered drama therapy, Tai-Chi, Mindfulness, and distress tolerance.

Managers ensured that staff had access to regular team meetings. We reviewed team meetings and saw examples of improvements and learning shared with staff to ensure best practice. Managers identified the learning needs of staff and provided them with opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge. Staff spoke positively of the opportunities they had available to develop professionally.

Managers supported permanent staff to develop through yearly, constructive appraisals of their work. All permanent staff, apart from new starters, were up to date with their appraisal. Appraisal meetings involved reviewing objectives, a review of knowledge and skills, training, professional registration, a summary of performance and setting objectives for the following year.

Managers supported staff through regular, constructive clinical supervision of their work. Clinical and managerial supervision compliance was 96% for clinical staff across all wards at the time of inspection.

Managers identified the learning needs of staff and provided them with opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge. Priory Healthcare offered a leadership programme for new managers or for staff who wanted to progress into a leadership role. In April 2025 the staff survey results showed that 85% of staff either strongly agreed or agreed that the Priory offered good opportunities for personal and professional development.

Managers dealt with poor staff performance promptly and effectively. We saw an example in a staff file where managers had effectively addressed a performance issue with a member of staff.

Managers ensured that staff received the necessary specialist training for their roles. The majority of staff had completed trauma-informed care training and autism training.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

Staff held regular and effective multidisciplinary meetings. Staff reviewed the patients care, treatment and risks and staff from all disciplines provided feedback on the patient’s progress.

Staff shared information about patients at effective handover meetings. Handover records showed detail of needs and risks of patients and any changes to these. Nurses and healthcare assistants held a handover meeting at the start of each shift. The multidisciplinary team met each day to review risks and incidents.

The teams had effective working relationships, including good handovers, with other relevant teams for example, care co-ordinators, community mental health teams, the local authority, discharge co-ordinators and commissioners.

Information relating to care, advocacy, activities, communication needs and feedback on care were displayed on the ward notice board for patients.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. The service supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduced their future needs for care and support.

Staff supported patients to live healthier lives – for example, through participation in smoking cessation schemes and healthy eating advice.

The service conducted high dose anti-psychotic audits to ensure they were safely prescribing and monitoring patients.

Ward activities helped promote a healthy lifestyle for patients – for example walking groups, sports activities and cooking healthy meals.

Staff identified patients’ physical health needs and recorded them in their care plans. Staff conducted checks of each patient’s pulse, temperature, weight, height and blood pressure, each week. Staff regularly monitored the blood sugar levels of patients requiring this intervention, such as those patients with diabetes or eating disorders.

Staff made sure patients had access to physical health care, including specialists as required. Staff ensured patients could access a full range of allied health professionals by referring to these when required. For example, access to a dietician, dentist, chiropodist, physiotherapist and podiatrist. Patients were seen promptly by a doctor when they felt unwell.

Patients on Springfield ward were seen by dieticians on admission to create personalised meal plans which were regularly reviewed.

Ward activities helped promote a healthy lifestyle for patients – for example walking groups, sports activities and cooking healthy meals. Patients on Springfield were supported to reach healthy weight levels through meal planning, therapy, peer support and psychoeducation.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

Staff continuously monitored patients’ health, their mental state and well-being. At daily flash meetings, staff noted details of patients’ sleep, food and fluid intake, personal hygiene, compliance with medication, and engagement in activities. Any changes in a patient’s presentation were discussed at the daily meetings.

The service used the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale (HoNOS) to assess patients’ health and social functioning, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) to screen for and measure generalized anxiety, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to evaluate the severity of depression. Staff also used the Brief Psychological Rating Scale (BPRS) to assess psychiatric symptoms. Staff used these tools to assess and monitor progress of patients.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centered care and treatment.

Staff took all practical steps to enable patients to make their own decisions. We saw patients views and preferences in care plans.

If a patient was detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, the arrangements for their detention and treatment were consistent with the requirements of the act and accompanying code of practice. Staff supported patients to understand how the Mental Health Act applied to their situation and that patients understood their right to appeal.

For patients who might have impaired mental capacity, staff assessed and recorded capacity to consent appropriately. We saw evidence of this in patients records for capacity to consent to treatment. We also saw best interest decision meetings where relatives had been invited to ensure the person’s wishes and views were included in decisions about their care and treatment. Staff did this on a subject-specific basis with regards to significant decisions.