The Priory Hospital Chelmsford

Updated 1 December 2021

Priory Healthcare Limited is the registered provider for the Priory Hospital Chelmsford, an independent mental health hospital providing 59 beds. The Care Quality Commission registered The Priory Hospital Chelmsford to carry out the following regulated activities:

• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury
• 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.

The service has a registered manager and a controlled drugs accountable officer. The services at this hospital include:

Acute wards for adults of working age:

• Chelmer ward, a 18 bedded mixed sex acute ward for assessment of patients with mental health needs which also provided care to some patients with addictions.
• Danbury ward, a 11 bedded female acute ward providing inpatient beds for assessment and treatment of patients with mental health needs.
• Springfield ward, a 16 bedded mixed sex ward providing assessment and treatment for patients with an eating disorder.

Substance Misuse Services

• Chelmer ward, a 18 bedded ward which admits patients who required detoxification alongside patients with mental health needs.
• The Lodge, a three bedded mixed sex house for patients receiving the addictions therapy rehabilitation programme.

Child and adolescent mental health wards (CAMHS):

• Willows ward, an 11 bedded mixed sex ward providing assessment and treatment for children and adolescents with mental health needs

What people who use the service say

Patients told us that the staff treated them with dignity and respect. Staff respected patients’ privacy and provided emotional support when required. Patients felt valued and respected. Patients told us that they were able to have input into their care and treatment. However, they did not feel involved in the writing of their care plans.

Carers told us that they felt their loved ones received good care and treatment. They felt that staff communicated well, and that staff involved them in their loved ones’ care.

Updated 1 December 2021

Priory Hospital Chelmsford, an independent mental health hospital providing 59 beds. They provide adult acute mental health wards, a child and adolescent mental health ward, an adult eating disorders ward and substance misuse inpatient services.

Our rating of this service improved. We rated it as good because:

• The service provided safe care. The ward environments were safe and clean. The wards had enough nurses and doctors and the wards were safely staffed. Staff assessed and managed risk well, risk assessments were up to date and reviewed regularly. Staff minimised the use of restrictive practices, restraint was only used as a last resort. Staff managed medicines safely and followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.
• Staff developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. Staff provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of the patients and in line with national guidance about best practice such as National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines . Staff engaged in clinical audit to evaluate the quality of care they provided.
• The ward teams included or had access to the full range of specialists required to meet the needs of patients on the wards. Managers ensured that these staff received training, supervision and appraisal. Mandatory training, supervision and appraisal rates for all wards was above 80%. The ward staff worked well together as a multidisciplinary team and with those outside the ward who would have a role in providing aftercare.
• Staff understood and discharged their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and understood the individual needs of patients.
• On Willows Ward, staff actively involved patients, families and carers in care decisions and the running of the service. We saw evidence throughout the care records that demonstrated this.
• The service managed beds well so that a bed was always available locally to a person who would benefit from admission and patients were discharged promptly once their condition warranted this.
• The service was well led, and governance processes ensured that ward procedures ran smoothly. Recent changes to the senior leadership team had led to improvements throughout the service.

However:

• The service did not always have the right number of registered nurses on shifts. Staff from other areas of the hospital would support where there were shortages.
• On the acute wards, care plans were not always personalised and did not reflect the patient voice.
• Staff on Danbury ward did not consistently record blood sugar monitoring results appropriately in the care records. We saw evidence that patients’ blood sugars were monitored appropriately but staff had not recorded the results on the appropriate form.
• Some staff were not aware of the organisation’s visions and values when asked by the inspection team.
• The service did not ensure there was an ongoing process to ensure physical health monitoring equipment was checked regularly so it works effectively.
• Staff on Willows ward did not ensure all patients’ prescribing documents had a photograph of the patient on them to ensure all staff, including those unfamiliar with the service, administered medication to the correct patient.

Updated 1 December 2021

The substance misuse service is a small proportion of hospital activity. The main service was acute wards for adults of working age and child and adolescent mental health wards. Where arrangements were the same, we have reported findings in the acute wards for adults of working age section.

Updated 1 December 2021

Updated 1 December 2021