The Priory Hospital

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

We looked for evidence that people were always treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. We checked that people’s privacy and dignity was respected, that they understood that they and their experience of how they were treated and supported mattered. We also looked for evidence that every effort was made to take people’s wishes into account and respect their choices, to achieve the best possible outcomes for them.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating stayed the same and remained good. This meant people feel well-supported, cared for or treated with dignity and respect.

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.

The service always treated people with kindness, empathy, compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues with kindness and respect.

Staff treated people with kindness. People felt staff listened to them and communicated with them in a way they could understand. They said they had their privacy and dignity respected.

The patient satisfaction results from August 2024 to January 2025 showed a total of 99.5% of patients were involved in decisions about their care and treatment. Similarly, 99.6% of patients said they were treated with respect and dignity.

In December 2024, the response rate for Priory for admitted care was 33.14% which was an increase from 31.11% in November 2024. The overall Friends and Family Test (FFT) for admitted care in December 2024 was 96.3%. This was a slight decrease from 96.6% in November 2024. The hospital consistently scored above the national average for overall experience of service (% FFT satisfaction).

Themes in survey feedback included patients being made to feel at ease, safe, well informed and well cared for with exceptionally caring and professional staff. Patients also frequently mention having had a good experience right through from admission to discharge.

Staff listened and acted upon people’s needs. A patient said, “Huge thanks to all I was privileged enough to be cared for by”, “The treatment l received from when l first stepped through the front door of the Priory Hospital Edgbaston, until l left the hospital was truly 5 Star...l couldn't have asked for more”.

There was a culture of kindness and respect between colleagues. Staff collaborated with other experienced colleagues to provide support for people with mental ill health and provided support with emotional wellbeing.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people's care, support and treatment met people's needs and preferences. Staff took account of people's strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Staff understood the emotional and social impact that a person's care, treatment, or condition had on their wellbeing and on those close to them.

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Staff understood the anxiety associated with the procedures and supported patients as much as possible. Staff assessed patients' social, psychological, or religious needs at pre-operative assessment and noted on patients' records so that any adjustments could be made ahead of admission.

The hospital collaborated with a chaplaincy organisation dedicated to providing emotional, spiritual, and pastoral care to individuals and local community. Their mission was to offer a listening ear and a guiding hand, ensuring no one felt alone in their time of need. The chaplaincy team visited the hospital and spent time networking with colleagues and connecting with patients.

Staff supported patients to make informed decisions about their care. Staff talked with patients, families and carers in a way they could understand, using communication aids where necessary.

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The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Patients were supported to have choice and control over their own care and make decisions about their treatment and wellbeing. Each patient had their own room on the ward.

There was a range of appropriate equipment to support and maximise people’s independence and outcomes from care and treatment.

There was a physiotherapist and occupational therapy team to support patients to maintain independence and mobility after surgery.

In November 2024, the hospital hosted a free diabetes prevention online webinar. This free patient information webinar provided information on the importance of diabetes prevention and enabled patients to learn about the signs to be aware of.

The service listened to and understood people's needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people's needs and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Patients told us they felt staff communicated with them well and in a way they understood. A patient on Aston ward told us staff were kind and responded very quickly to call bells.

Staff ensured that patients living with mental health conditions, disabilities, or dementia received the care they needed, and adapted the service to meet their individual needs. There was a ward-based kitchen, and the service had hostesses who served food from the ward kitchen. Hostesses notified nursing staff if a patient had not eaten their served meal.

We spoke with an advanced nurse practitioner who attended from an external prostrate service. They had a hotline and were usually booked by consultant secretaries to regularly attend the service and review any patients post prostate surgery.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

The hospital had a number of policies and processes in place to support the well-being of staff. These covered practical ways to helping staff lead healthier lives and how to manage pressure. These were implemented by managers of the service.

There were processes in place to ensure that staff were supported with their well-being which enabled them to continue in their roles of providing care and treatment to patients.