The Retreat: Private psychiatric treatment in the UK

The Retreat is a not-for-profit specialist mental health care provider, working with the NHS to provide psychiatric treatment and care in the UK for people with complex and challenging needs.

They are very proud of their reputation for excellence, providing care of the highest standard and quality. Their welcoming environment is open, light, spacious and calming, enabling recovery and independence. They help people to imagine a future for themselves, holding on to hope.

Their relationships are based on respect, dignity and tolerance and patients are kept safe and secure through strong therapeutic relationships.

What they treat

The Retreat offers a range of successful, evidence-based inpatient, day patient and outpatient treatment programmes to meet the needs of each individual.  They treat:

• Alcohol addiction
• Anxiety
• Bipolar Affective Disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Depression
• Dementia
• Drug addiction
• Dual Diagnosis
• Eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa)
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Older People’s Care - Complex and Challenging behaviours
• Psychosis
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Schizophrenia
• Stress
• Workplace Stress

Psychiatric treatment centres

The Retreat was opened 200 years ago in York and has the distinction of having been the first establishment in England where mental illness was regarded as something from which a person could recover, and patients were treated with sympathy, respect and dignity.  The Retreat had a profound influence on public opinion, resulting ultimately in fundamental reform of the laws relating to mental illness and its treatment.

The present day Retreat seeks to retain the original principles behind the early moral treatment practised there, whilst being responsive to what is best in latest clinical expertise and practice.

It provides inpatient care for 100 adults in within two specialist services:

Specialist Adult Services

Naomi is a specialist unit for adults using a treatment approach informed by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in a therapeutic environment which promotes recovery from a range of problems. These include eating disorders, mood disorders and anxiety disorders including obsessive compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Acorn unit is a Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) informed Therapeutic Community. The programme is designed to provide treatment for women who may have experienced complex trauma in their lives and self-harm, and/or have an eating disorder or a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. The programme has been treating women for about 10 years and in 2007 received validation from a national professional organisation, The Community of Communities in partnership with The Association of Therapeutic Communities as the first ever therapeutic community to be accredited.

Hannah Mills unit provides assessment and treatment for people with complex mental health problems, including psychosis and bipolar disorder.  It also offers treatment for alcohol addiction or abuse, for people identified as having a dual diagnosis, and for people who require brief intensive assessment and rehabilitation.

Specialist Older People’s Services

These services offer specialist care to older people with either an organic brain disorder such as dementia; or with a functional disorder such psychosis, depression or personality disorder.  People who use the service may as a result of these illnesses present with behaviours that are challenging to carers or nursing homes such as wandering, aggression or anti-social behaviour.

George Jepson and Katherine Allen are two gender specific units for older people, presenting with challenging behaviours of either an organic or functional nature.  They provide person-centred recovery orientated interventions in a stimulating environment. 

Katherine Allen II unit works closely with Katherine Allen and George Jepson units.  It empowers more physically able and socially active patients to live as independently as possible.

Blair Atholl is a community rehabilitation unit for older people (55+) with mental health problems many of whom have spent long periods of their life in hospital.  Based in the village of Haxby patients can access local community facilities and benefit from a real sense of social inclusion.

Contact details

The Retreat

Heslington Road

York

YO10 5BN

Tel:      01904 412551

Fax:     01904 430830

Web:    www.theretreatyork.org.uk

Email:   enquiries@theretreatyork.org.uk

The Tuke Centre is a counselling and therapy service which offers discreet, confidential support for people through difficult times. 

The Tuke Centre provides a single point of contact for a full range of psychological therapies including counselling, psychotherapy, psychology and psychiatry  for individuals, groups, couples and families. These include specialist services for PTSD, personality disorders and eating disorders. These talking therapies are offered by over 30 clinical experts in a non-clinical, safe, calm environment.  Over 700 people a year access these services.

Contact details

The Tuke Centre

28 Green Dykes Lane  

York

YO10 3HH

Tel:      01904 430370

Fax:     01904 424850

Web:    www.thetukecentre.org.uk

Email:   info@thetukecentre.org.uk

How to access treatment

Inpatient Services – The Retreat

Once the decision has been made to seek care at The Retreat, they would need a letter of referral or completion of their Patient Referral Form from a healthcare professional such as a GP, Consultant Psychiatrist, PCT commissioners, drug and alcohol services, and CMHTs.  These can be sent or faxed to their referrals team together with additional information such as Psychiatric Reports, Social Care Reports and Structured Risk Assessments.  They also require information on who is responsible for funding.

Psychological Therapies – The Tuke Centre

For Counselling and Psychotherapy

You can contact them yourself – you do not need to be referred. You can call them immediately on 01904 430370.  When you call them, they will arrange an initial assessment appointment for you.  This appointment will help you to decide whether or not therapy could be helpful for your situation. 

For Consultant Psychiatry or Psychology

They require a letter of referral from your GP or other healthcare professional.  The letter should be sent or faxed together with additional information such as Psychiatric Reports, Social Care Reports and Structured Risk Assessments. 

Funding

The Retreat is a not-for-profit organisation.  Fees are based on the care needs of each individual.

Over 90% of their inpatient care is funded by the NHS.  Patients who want to be funded by the NHS should discuss funding with their GP or Consultant.  This funding is at the discretion of the relevant funding authority.

Patients who wish to self-fund their treatment will be required to pay a deposit prior to admission.  Payments will then be required at 10 or 14 day intervals.  Payments can be made by credit card, cheque or cash. 

Private insurance funding is accepted; please check with your insurer that adequate cover is available prior to admission.

All sources of funding must be agreed in writing prior to admission.