About this location
Based in Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland, Priory Hospital Ayr Clinic is a low secure service for males and females with a mental health diagnosis and/or a personality disorder. We can support people from all over the UK. Lochlea House and Gatehouse are two stepdown services located in Ayrshire which are part of Ayr Clinic also.
Services at a glance
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Services
Our secure services offer comprehensive support to people with complex mental health needs. We model our service provision on the NHS secure service specification for medium and low secure services, ensuring our patients are given the highest quality of care to enable quick and smooth transitions into local services, wherever possible. We are committed to delivering clinically effective, evidence-based treatment programmes for individuals who require secure care, providing both psychological and physical security.
Ward break down
- Arran - 12-bedded female ward
- Belleisle - 12-bedded male ward
- Lochlea - 12-bedded male and female ward
- Low Green – 12-bedded male and female
- Gatehouse – 8-bedded female
Conditions treated
We are able to support people with mental illness and/or a personality disorder. We can also support people with the following challenges alongside their primary diagnosis:
- Complex mental health needs
- Behaviours that challenge
- Severe and enduring mental health problems
- Psychosis
- Sexual offending
- Self-harm
- Trauma
- Offending behaviour
- Acquired brain injury
- Cognitive impairment
Treatment approaches
At Ayr Clinic, we offer an individualised, person-centred approach to all of our patients. We provide high levels of therapeutic care that is underpinned by evidence-based knowledge, delivered by a highly experienced team. Our individual and group treatment programmes have clearly defined goals and outcomes for those who stay with us. We provide a safe and supportive environment to enable people to recover from sometimes difficult and stressful issues.
Our assessment and treatment options are overseen by a full and diverse multidisciplinary team (MDT).
We offer:
- Emotional regulation
- Substance misuse
- Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)
- Compassion focused therapy (CFT)
- Trauma treatment
- Eye movement desensitisation repossessing (EMDR)
- Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) (psychosis, personality disorder)
- Insight therapy
- Offending focused work
- Relapse prevention
- Problem solving skills
- Motivational interviewing
- Psycho-education (sleep programme / insight)
- Social skills training
People within our secure service can stay with us on a short-term or long-term basis.
Our team
Our team consists of:
- Psychiatrists
- Psychologists
- Occupational therapists
- Nursing team, including a primary care nurse
- Physical Healthcare
- Healthcare assistants
- Support services
We also provide specialist staff training, including:
- Personality disorder awareness training
- Dynamic appraisal of situational aggression (DASA) training
- DBT awareness training
- HCR20 awareness training
- Positive behaviour support training (PBS)
- Resilience training
- Boundaries training
- Trauma informed care and responsiveness training
- Nursing preceptorship
- Nursing Bursary Awards
Therapeutic and community-based activities
We offer a range of therapeutic and community-based activities as part of a full treatment programme. We want to support people to become more confident and independent, preparing them to move through their treatment pathway towards community living.
Our therapeutic and community-based activities include:
- Real work opportunities (shop assistant, shop manager, voluntary work placements, placement at dog rescue, care valeting)
- Walking groups
- Sports groups
- Scottish history groups (leading to visits to famous Scottish landmarks)
- College courses
- University courses
Our facilities and environment
We believe that the environment in which treatment takes place is just as important as the treatment itself, when it comes to supporting our patients. We provide:
Our garden offers secure fencing, a lawn, shelter and planting areas. We also have specialised equipment within the hospital, including safer rooms, for people to use.
Our bedrooms
All of our bedrooms are single-occupancy and have an en-suite bathroom. Patients are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms while they are staying with us. We provide:
Exclusion profile
- People under the age of 18
- Autistic Spectrum Disorder (primary diagnosis)
- Informal patients
Pathways
Priory’s network of high quality facilities enables us to offer joined-up care pathways with our dedicated residential services. We offer programmes that integrate healthcare treatment and therapy, which are tailored according to individual needs, in an appropriate setting. Our strength is that we can provide a seamless transition for the individual as they progress between higher and lower dependency services.
Lochlea House and Gatehouse are part of Ayr Clinic and offer specialised step-down facilities to enable people to continue their recovery journey, maintain good mental health, and to promote social inclusion and skills for a sustainable discharge into community living.
People staying with us could also go on to benefit from other Priory Group specialist services in Scotland. In addition to Ayr Clinic’s step-down facilities, we can offer pathways into Priory Healthcare and Priory Adult Care at Priory Riddrie House and Priory Berelands House Care Home. Both located nearby in Glasgow and Prestwick respectively.
A message from our site leader
We believe your stay with us will be a positive one that helps you on your road to recovery. We don’t underestimate your challenges, but we can meet those challenges together.
Ayr Clinic site leader
Comments from our patients and their family and friends
I like having a job and helping out - it makes me feel proud and allows me to learn new skills
Information for family and friends
How do home visits work?
Home visits, escorted and unescorted leave into the community is arranged by Ayr Clinic, however this is dependent on the needs and risks of the person staying with us.
What is your visitation policy?
We encourage visits and look forward to welcoming friends and family to Ayr Clinic and our stepdown sites, Lochlea House and Gatehouse. We offer flexible visiting times which includes weekends. Due to our secure setting, all visits must be arranged with us in advance. Please see further for suitable items that can be brought to visits.
Will I be involved and kept up to date with my loved one’s care and wellbeing?
We encourage regular involvement of family members in treatment progress meetings, either in person or virtually.
Will my loved one be able to have a phone or call me?
We carry out individual risk assessments for mobile phones and smart devices but everyone staying with us has access to a telephone to stay in touch with family and friends. Dependent on risk, patients may be supervised during calls.
What type of things are families expected to provide, and what is provided by the home?
People staying with us will need their own clothing and toiletries. It may be possible to bring other items and this will be risk assessed and discussed prior to admission.
What are the bedrooms like?
Each person staying at Ayr Clinic has their own private bedroom with shower room. Our bedrooms are furnished, and can be personalised with patient art, prints and photos. Patients may progress on to one of our stepdown sites, where they will also have their own private bedroom and shower room.
Are external doors kept locked?
All of our external doors are locked. However, every person staying with us will be individually assessed for any risks to see what security is needed.
What do service users eat and how do meal times work?
Breakfast, lunch and dinner is prepared daily by our Catering team from a selection of seasonal menus. Each ward has a dining room where meals are served.
Our wards at Ayr Clinic are equipped with a therapy kitchen where patients can be involved in cooking and baking sessions with our Occupational Therapy team.
Decaffeinated tea and coffee is provided, and some people staying with us may be able to arrange their own supply of drinks and snacks.
How does laundry work?
We have laundry facilities for patients staying with us to launder their own clothes. Linen and towels are provided.
Is there anything they can’t bring or have?
For safety we ask that our procedures around prohibited and restricted items are followed by everyone. Prohibited items are not permitted at Ayr Clinic or our stepdown sites, Lochlea House and Gatehouse.
Restricted items may be allowed depending on the individual, or supervised during use.
PROHIBITED
- Alcohol
- Blu Tack (or equivalent substances)
- Candles and incense
- Cigarette lighters/matches
- Explosives, including fireworks
- Toxic and poisonous substances, such as illicit drugs, legal highs, psychoactive substances and poisons, for example, sodium nitrite/nitrate
- High caffeine drinks, for example, energy drinks
- Knives - excluding cutlery provided and managed by staff
- Magnets
- Mouthwash
- Non-prescribed medication
- Razors (cut throat)
- Solvents/glue (although these may be used under supervision as part of therapy)
- Stilettos, heeled footwear, steel toe cap boots
- Tin foil
- Weapons or replica weapons
- Wire coat hangers
RESTRICTED
- Adhesive tape of any kind
- Aerosol containers
- Bath oil/bubble bath
- Batteries, including lithium batteries
- Cans and tins
- Charging cables
- Chewing gum
- Cigarettes, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes and vaping devices
- Curling tongs, hair straighteners and hair dryers
- Dental floss
- False nails
- Glass and metal nail files
- Glass bottles
- Herbal remedies
- Hot water bottles
- Mirrors
- Mobile phones, SIM cards and smart devices with access to the internet and/or a recording/camera facility
- Nail clippers
- Nail polish remover
- Pencil sharpeners
- Plastic bags for personal use e.g. carrier bags
- Razors (bladed)
- Scissors
- Sharp and pointed items e.g. sewing and knitting needles, pins
- Shower sponge puff (mesh)
- Wireless ear buds
- Wooden coat hangers
- Wire bound books
- Wool/string
The following clothing may also need to be restricted, depending on the patient’s risk assessment:
- Belts
- Clothing with belt loops
- Clothing with draw strings
- Dressing gown cords
- Hoodies
- Shoelaces
- Scarves
- Tights
- Dressing gown cords
- Leggings
- Underwear
Are pets allowed?
We do have pet therapy but unfortunately we cannot support live-in pets at this time. Photos of pets are very welcome and can be laminated and used to personalise bedrooms.
We are located in Ayrshire and are frequently visited by local wildlife such as hares and native birds.
How do activities work?
All patients have an individualised activity programme, tailored to their needs.
Do service users and families have an input into the service user’s care plans?
The expectations of family members and carers are always taken into consideration and are included in our six monthly care programme approach (CPA) meetings and individual care reviews.
What are the car parking facilities?
Ayr Clinic has free car spaces on site. If you are visiting Lochlea House or Gatehouse, you will find free on-street parking in the neighbourhood.
What is the smoking policy? Can service users buy cigarettes?
Ayr Clinic is a non-smoking site. Smoking cessation support tools can be provided, for example, nicotine patches. Smoking is permitted in designated areas at our stepdown sites, Lochlea House and Gatehouse.
How is treatment accessed and funded?
We are unable to accept referrals directly from individuals and families. All referrals are made by the local authority NHS service.
How to make a referral
Our customer service centre provides 24/7 support for NHS mental health enquiries and referrals. Our customer referral co-ordinators can support you from your first call right through to the enquiry conclusion, providing updates throughout the process. We offer 24/7 crisis referrals, fast access to bed availability and placements, and a single access point for end-to-end enquiry management.