During an assessment of Residential substance misuse services
Date of inspection: 26 – 27 February 2026.
We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection as part of our inspection programme.
The Priory Hospital Hayes Grove is part of the larger The Priory provider, who deliver mental health care, addiction rehabilitation, and adult social care. They operate a large network of services across the country, offering treatment for a wide range of mental health conditions, addictions, and specialist care needs.
Lower Court is an acute private inpatient client ward providing care for up to 17 men and women. The ward supports individuals requiring treatment for mental health conditions as well as those engaging in the specialist addictions programme. Wickham Ward, an acute admission ward for up to nine men which opened in April 2021, was closed at the time of inspection.
Clients on Lower Court ward are encouraged to take increasing responsibility for their recovery as they progress through their admission, with a particular focus on structured discharge planning. A range of individual and group therapeutic interventions is available throughout their stay.
The ward environment is designed to be safe, therapeutic and recovery oriented, while maintaining dignity, privacy and inclusivity across genders.
The ward’s philosophy centres on compassionate, recovery focused, evidence-based care delivered within a structured and supportive setting. Its therapeutic model integrates medical oversight with psychological therapies, emphasising patient centred practice. The service aims to build resilience, promote independence, and equip individuals with the skills required to maintain recovery and successfully reintegrate clients into the community. The service is registered to provide care for the following regulated activities:
Accommodation for persons who require treatment for substance misuse
Assessment or medical treatment for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983
Diagnostic and screening procedures
Treatment of disease, disorder or injury
The service had a registered manager in place at the time of this inspection. This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection of the service.
At the time of the assessment, 10 people were receiving treatment for substance misuse at the service.
At this assessment we rated the service as Good.
We spoke with 3 people and 2 carers. We also reviewed the care and treatment records of 5 people.
At this assessment we found several areas of good practice.
The service developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment.
We saw evidence of client centred discussions in Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meetings.
People and carers praised the staff as incredibly professional, sharing their view that The Priory Hospital Hayes Grove “lovely, personable, and supportive.”
We spoke to 7 staff. Overall, staff described a supportive and person-centred culture, strong safeguarding practice, and positive working relationships. However, we identified inconsistencies in procedural knowledge, governance understanding, and training uptake among newer staff.
Carers told us that there was a strong culture of kindness, compassion and warm.
We found some areas for improvement.
We found a breach of Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment. Staff did not consistently have the knowledge and competence to recognise and respond to deterioration associated with substance misuse, including withdrawal and overdose, and access to medicines such as naloxone were limited. This increased the potential for delays in emergency treatment.
We found a breach of Regulation 17: Good Governance. Governance systems were not effective in identifying, monitoring and addressing risks relating to staff competence, training and the safe management of substance misuse treatment.
We found a breach of Regulation 18: Staffing. The provider did not ensure that sufficient numbers of staff with the appropriate substance misuse training and competence were available, which meant staff were not always equipped to deliver safe care.
We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.