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 patients were always treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. We checked that patient’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 patient’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 has remained the same. This meant patients were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

Staff treated patients with kindness, empathy and compassion. They ensured privacy and dignity was respected, always upheld and supported patients to make informed decisions about their care.

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 patients with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

Staff treated patients with kindness. Patients felt staff listened to them and communicated with them in a way they could understand. All patients we spoke with told us how kind and caring staff had been during their admission.

Patient’s privacy and dignity was respected and upheld at all times. Staff provided patients undergoing lower endoscopy procedures with dignity shorts to maintain privacy during, throughout and after the procedure. Patient gowns were doubled up so that patients were covered appropriately when mobilising around the unit and walking to the procedure room.

The hospital held a patient forum in September 2024 with the topic ‘privacy and dignity’ to give patients an opportunity to discuss about how they felt their privacy and dignity was maintained during their care at the hospital. The aim was to further improve care provided. Overall, the feedback from patients who attended was positive.

Individual cubicles within the oncology unit had blinds/curtains which enabled privacy and dignity to be maintained for all treatments. The service had rolled out dignity and compassion champions across various areas in the hospital.

Patients told us staff listened to them and communicated with them appropriately and in ways they understood. A patient told us staff were respectful, and they felt comfortable around them.

Staff understood the individual needs of patients, including their personal, cultural, social and religious needs. The hospital had a quiet room with multi-faith resources available for all patients, relatives and staff to use.

Staff carried out admission and discharge checks in the individual consultation room in the department. Any bad news was also broken within the consultation room, and not the day case bays.

Circle Health Group had set an initiative called Circle of Compassion which embodied the provider’s unwavering commitment to show compassion to fellow staff, patients, and their families through dignity, healing, learning, authenticity, and kindness. It sustained compassionate leadership and ensured the delivery of compassionate care to patients and their loved ones.

Staff supported patients to understand and manage their care, treatment or condition. The service had received level 5 accreditation (the highest level available) for the Macmillan Quality Environment Mark.

Patients said staff treated them well and behaved appropriately towards them. A patient said; ‘’You not only cared for and supported me through my treatment with excellence and consistency, but also offered me friendship, affection and joy. My sessions with you were punctuated by laughter and great good humour such that it was a genuine pleasure to arrive and to be greeted by your generous smiles. Thank you for making every visit more than just bearable, and for the time you gave me’’.

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.

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

Staff supported patients to make informed decisions about their care. Patients were given the opportunity to ask questions, so they understood the decisions they were being asked to make and to ensure they understood their treatment.

Patients were offered the use of chaperone for all consultations, and chaperone posters were displayed in all consultation rooms and waiting areas. Staff recorded the use of chaperones in a chaperone register and, in the patient’s medical records.

Staff made sure patients and those close to them understood their care and treatment. Staff talked to patients in a way they could understand, using communication aids where necessary. Staff told us they had different ways to communicate with patients who had different communication needs. The service was able to provide information in a wide range of formats including multiple languages and ‘easy read’. There was access to interpretation services and access to hearing loop.

The chaplaincy team provided pastoral, spiritual and religious care, as well as counselling and mindfulness relaxation sessions for patients and their loved one. The hospital was committed to fostering an environment of support, empathy, and understanding for everyone who walks through our doors.

Patients had a choice of food to meet the dietary requirements of religious and ethnic groups and to account for allergies and intolerance.

Staff ensured that patients had access to appropriate spiritual support. A quiet and multi-faith room was situated between the oncology and critical care departments. The room had a variety of multi-faith resources which could be used by either patients, families or staff to enable them to practice in an area of privacy. There was a plan for the oncology department to have their own quiet room.

The Priory hospital collaborated with an external 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.

We did not look at Independence, choice and control during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

We did not look at Responding to people’s immediate needs during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

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

Staff felt respected, supported and valued. 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.

Patients received safe, effective and person-centred care by staff who mostly had their wellbeing needs prioritised by their leaders and colleagues.

Patients benefitted from staff who had regular opportunities to provide feedback, raise concerns and suggest ways to improve the service or staff experiences.

Staff were supported if they were struggling at work. This had a positive impact on the care they delivered to patients. The hospital was committed to fostering a positive and supportive work environment. They had a dedicated well-being room for staff to use whenever they needed a moment to relax or take a break from their busy workday. This quiet space was designed to offer a peaceful retreat, providing employees with a calm environment where they could unwind, recharge, and practise self-care. The hospital encouraged oncology health care professionals to attend regular supervision with a clinical psychologist to help support and manage the emotional impact.

Staff participated in ‘wear it green day’ during the mental health awareness week to raise awareness and show support for well-being in the workplace. In February 2025, the wellbeing lead hosted a ‘time to talk event’ to encourage members of staff to share their thoughts and any concerns they had.

A quick response (QR) code had been produced and shared with all staff. The QR code enabled staff to anonymously provide suggestions/concerns. Leaders reviewed and discussed all submissions during the senior management meeting and took actions as required.