Staff at Priory Lombard House are “exceptional”, say inspectors

• Care Quality Commission rates the service as “outstanding” in the responsive category
• The regulator said people “were extremely happy living” at Lombard House
• Hospital staff are “exceptional in enabling people to remain independent”
• Patients enjoy a range of activities and can work towards qualifications with an on-site teacher
• Staff go “the extra mile” to support patients

Priory Lombard House in Attleborough, Norfolk has been praised for its “exceptional” staff in a recent review by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The independent health and social care regulator was impressed by the service which “fully met” the principles of ‘right support, right care, right culture,’ and went on to award the hospital an ‘outstanding’ rating in the ‘responsive’ category.

Patients’ “emotional and social needs were highly valued” by staff who deliver “active, goal orientated” treatment which values individual preferences and empowers people “to remain independent” through participation in daily living skills such as cooking, shopping, laundry and budgeting.

Lombard House is a specialist service for people with a learning disability who may also be autistic, and may have a diagnosis of personality disorder, or a history of major mental illness or substance misuse.

The service also supports men with a history of offending behaviour to rehabilitate back into the community, and live independent, healthier lives. It provides high-quality mental healthcare, and research has shown that ex-offenders with good mental health are less likely to recommit crime.

The hospital was reported as safe, clean, and well-equipped to meet people’s sensory and physical needs, and patients were able to lead “inclusive and empowered lives” due to the range of community and on-site activities on offer which “enhanced and enriched their lives.”

Patients at the hospital told inspectors that staff “were lovely, extremely helpful and caring” and that the environment at Lombard was “very homely.”

Inspectors noted several examples of outstanding practice, including the hospital’s accreditation with the OCR (Oxford Cambridge & RSA), which allows patients to work with the home’s on-site teacher toward qualifications in horticulture, information technology and healthy living.

People and staff also told the CQC they were “highly motivated” by the hospital’s Drake Awards, which celebrates patients’ achievements in areas such as community contribution and healthy living.

The regulator extended praise to the hospital’s leadership for their commitment to continuous improvement by undertaking external accreditations and benchmarking services. It says how staff “shared drive and determination” to go “the extra mile” for people under their care.

G, a patient representative at the service said: “The staff at Lombard House are great. They always try their best to help us with whatever we need, and are happy to support us in making our own decisions.”

Hospital Director, Sharon Drake, said: “I’m so pleased that this report recognises the values and ethos shared by our team at Lombard House. Our approach to care is always about compassion, and ensuring that patients are given every opportunity to pursue their own interests so that they can lead happy, fulfilling lives. I’m very proud of just how devoted our staff are to that vision.”

Rebekah Creswell, Priory Chief Executive Officer, said: “At Priory we are committed to supporting patients throughout their recovery to develop skills which support independent living. The brilliant team at Lombard House should be very proud of their hard work which is having such a positive impact on the people they support.”

ENDS

Contact: [email protected]

About Priory and MEDIAN

Priory is the UK’s leading independent provider of mental health services. We treat more than 70 conditions, including depression, anxiety, addictions and eating disorders, as well as children’s mental health, across our nationwide network of sites. We also support autistic adults and adults with a learning disability, Prader-Willi Syndrome and brain injuries, as well as older people, within our specialist residential care and supported living facilities – helping as many people as possible to live their lives.

Priory is part of the MEDIAN Group, one of Europe’s leading providers of high quality mental health and rehabilitation services. The MEDIAN Group comprises 290 facilities with 5,000 beds caring for 28,000 people in the UK, 120 facilities with 20,000 beds caring for around 250,000 patients in Germany, and 15 facilities with 2,000 beds caring for 13,000 people in Spain, with more than 29,000 employees overall.