Mind responds to BBC’s investigation into the Priory Group

Today (Wednesday 23 April 2023) the BBC broadcast and published a story about the Priory Group, with a key focus on how mental health blogger Beth Matthews, who took her own life last year, was subject to inadequate care while at the Priory’s hospital Cheadle Royal in Stockport.

In response to BBC’s investigation into the Priory Group, Sarah Hughes, CEO for Mind said:

“Our thoughts still very much remain with Beth’s family and loved ones, and we thank them for their continuous work to highlight how Beth, and many others, have been let down by the very system which is supposed to protect and care for them. 

“We have seen too many horrific stories about psychiatric inpatient care across the U.K. both in private and NHS provision. Hospitals run by the Priory Group have been too often criticised by coroners and inquest juries for failing patients. When someone goes into hospital for their mental health they deserve to receive safe and compassionate care in a therapeutic environment. This is far from what is being delivered. The Priory Group must take immediate action to ensure people are kept safe under their care across the wards and hospitals they run. 

“We are in the middle of the biggest mental health crisis the country has ever seen. Workforces are overstretched and struggling to recruit, there are not enough beds and too many people are sent far from home, and many wards are not fit for purpose, they cannot offer a therapeutic environment. The consequences of this are devastating, being forced to travel hundreds of miles from their home, friends and family to receive the treatment they need, which can be isolating, worsen their chance of recovery and places them at higher risk of suicide.

“That is why Mind is calling for a full statutory inquiry into failings in inpatient mental health services. We need to see a response that recognises the scale of the challenge we face and that systemic change is urgently needed across all inpatient mental health care – both public, and private. We must as a matter of urgency make sure there is inpatient psychiatric care across the country that is safe, and importantly gives patients the best chance to recover.''