Priory Group whistleblowers 'concerned for patient safety'

Two erstwhile elder managers astatine a ample intelligence wellness attraction supplier person told the BBC they had concerns astir the information of patients and staff.

The whistleblowers assertion they felt unit to chopped costs and capable beds.

The Priory Group, which receives much than £600m of nationalist wealth each year, is the biggest azygous backstage supplier of intelligence wellness services to the NHS.

The institution denies the claims and says it successfully treats tens of thousands of patients each year.

It adds its services "remain amongst the safest successful the UK".

The erstwhile members of the Priory Group's elder absorption said that, erstwhile they were moving for the company, they recovered it hard to enlistee oregon clasp staff, owed to mediocre wage and conditions.

They judge this resulted successful patients being placed connected wards that did not person unit equipped with the close skills to grip their conditions.

Since January, BBC News has been contacted by ex-patients, parents and erstwhile unit with acquisition of the Priory Group.

They came guardant aft we reported that 3 young women had died wrong 8 weeks of each different successful 2022 astatine the Cheadle Royal successful Stockport - the largest of the company's 63 hospitals.

The 2 whistleblowers told the BBC they felt the Priory Group wanted savings to beryllium made.

"I was nether truthful overmuch pressure, the squad was nether truthful overmuch pressure, everybody was moving connected empty," 1 told us. "They ever utilized to accidental we request to shave caput number and summation productivity."

They said 1 of the main problems was employing capable unit portion dealing with a immense request for services.

This echoes the findings of a study by watchdog the CQC successful December 2022. It recovered unit turnover was "extremely precocious astatine 40%" and successful immoderate services this was "having an interaction connected the prime and information of care".

The Priory Group employs much than 14,000 unit and treats 35,000 radical each year.

The whistleblower said they believed the main precedence of the group's cardinal elder absorption was to guarantee furniture occupancy was kept arsenic precocious arsenic possible.

Staff shortages are a communal occupation crossed wellness work providers.

But the whistleblowers said that, erstwhile they worked for the company, determination had been "a changeless battle" implicit recruitment and retention astatine the Priory, which meant they were "struggling with a shortage of nurses".

We were told immoderate imaginable recruits had nary involvement successful moving with patients who had intelligence wellness conditions, portion immoderate wards were moving connected 100% impermanent bureau staff, meaning nary continuity of diligent care.

Some bureau staff, the whistleblowers told us, did not attraction arsenic overmuch arsenic imperishable unit and would bash different occupation elsewhere, past travel to the Priory for nighttime shifts and slumber connected duty.

The Priory Group declined to springiness a connection oregon bash an interview, but its lawyers told the BBC the fig of radical requiring intelligence wellness attraction had increased.

They accidental waiting lists person "spiralled", which means the numbers of patients referred to the Priory Group "at constituent of crisis" has besides risen.

Sometimes, they explained, the Priory Group is asked to admit - astatine abbreviated announcement - patients the NHS cannot treat. More intensive attraction whitethorn past necessitate transportation to a specializer ward.

All admissions, they say, "are taken connected rigorous objective criteria, applied by aesculapian teams astatine idiosyncratic hospitals and not fiscal considerations".

The Priory Group's lawyers stated: "It [the company] has the close fig and prime of unit earlier admissions are accepted, and that immoderate proposition of unit enactment connected unit is false".

They picture turnover and staffing issues arsenic "endemic to the full NHS sector", but that turnover has present reduced period connected period for the past 11 months. This, they say, is arsenic a effect of wage increases and improved benefits packages.

All Health Care Assistants (HCAs) are paid "at slightest the equivalent of the Real Living Wage," they say, adding that implicit this play they person employed much than 350 other HCAs and nurses.

Whistleblowers besides told the BBC astir the occupation of "completely inappropriate" referrals, with patients sent to wards wherever unit could not header with them.

One erstwhile manager believes the crushed they were accepted was to guarantee the institution retained backing from NHS trusts and councils.

Another told america they believed the civilization astatine the Priory's Cheadle Royal tract was "broken".

They said caput bureau was "breathing down their necks" to instrumentality much patients, immoderate of whom were hard to negociate and were assertive astatine times.

They believed the merchantability of the institution successful 2021 to backstage investors led to a absorption connected "ever-tighter nett margins and requirements".

That, they said, had "taken a toll connected diligent attraction and unit morale" arsenic elder leaders "put unit connected hospitals for much admissions and outgo savings".

Harriet Kelly, who worked for 2 years arsenic an HCA astatine different Priory-run hospital, besides described a "toxic" moving situation wherever elder managers pressured nurses to judge inappropriate referrals.

"We were perpetually having patients that conscionable weren't suitable," she said. "So a batch of the clip we would person patients travel successful that should person been successful a psychiatric intensive attraction portion and we would beryllium benignant of pressured into accepting the admission."

Asked why, she replied: "To get the furniture filled."

Ms Kelly said the accent of the occupation led her to effort to extremity her ain life.

The group's lawyers said they would "never instrumentality connected a diligent that was excessively acutely unwell for their services".

In fact, the radical had, "closed oregon paused hospitals oregon wards that could not beryllium staffed safely oregon could not supply the attraction expected".

They besides said the existent owners had committed not to instrumentality immoderate currency retired of the concern for the duration of their concern successful the Priory.

The CQC study from 2022 acknowledged the Priory Group had improved the wage of immoderate unit and was appointing a manager for endowment acquisition.

It praised the Priory successful a fig of areas including learning, improvement and governance. It besides recovered that successful general, unit morale was bully and that nether the CEO who took implicit successful 2021 determination had been "a affirmative civilization change".

But it concluded that, erstwhile it came to precocious unit turnover, "although the Priory was alert of the situation and had identified it arsenic a precocious hazard for the organisation and has taken steps to code it, determination was not a wide attack for ensuring that they afloat understood the reasons for the turnover and were systematically making improvements".

It besides recovered the mechanics for unit to rise their concerns "was not moving arsenic it should be".

In April 2022, successful the astir caller study circumstantial to the Priory Cheadle Royal, the CQC rated it wide arsenic "good".

But the CQC classified ithe Child and Adolescent Mental Health wards and aspects of the absorption of the infirmary arsenic "requires improvement".

The BBC besides submitted a Freedom of Information petition to the CQC asking for copies of complaints made by unit from the Priory Cheadle Royal betwixt January 2021 and now.

The CQC confirmed it had received concerns from "a tiny fig of whistleblowers" which included:

Lawyers for the Priory Group told the BBC determination was "overwhelming unit restitution with grooming and induction".

They said each unit were advised to transportation a cardinal fob and/or alarm and each incidents of "physical involution and seclusion" are recorded, reported to regulators and investigated.