Priory Group: Drug addiction treatment in the UK

The Priory Group UK is a leading independent provider of addiction treatment services. Priory is unique because it offers more individual treatment time and has more patients in treatment than any other UK provider. At any point in time, Priory has 100-110 patients in a variety of addiction treatment programmes across 15 hospitals, helping over 1,200 people with addictions issues annually.

The Priory believe that drug dependency is a life-threatening illness and that recovery is a positive, life-affirming process.  Their abstinence-based addiction treatment programme, usually incorporates a 28+ day hospital stay supported by twelve months of structured aftercare,

The Priory offers an intense and carefully planned in-patient programme whereby patients work on themselves for eight or nine hours a day in group therapy, in individual sessions with their psychiatrists and with a wide range of trained therapists.  Priory's addiction treatment programme offers people with substance misuse issues the best opportunity to make a crucial change in their lives when they are ready to do so.

The Priory recognise that an in-patient stay is not possible for all of the patients who require their services, so they have also developed highly successful day patient and out-patient addiction treatment services.

The Priory also offers support and advice to family members who often play an instrumental role in helping the patient recognise their need for help and who have had to deal with the impact of their loved one's addiction. They run weekly family support programmes to improve the quality of family relationships, help families understand the facts and dispel the myths about addiction and allow them to learn from the strength and experiences of others.

On successful completion of their inpatient programme, some patients may benefit from a period of extended care on a day care or out-patient basis, the duration and intensity of which depends on each individual's needs.

All patients are encouraged to attend a free weekly aftercare programme for twelve months for additional support and guidance in the early stages of recovery.  According to a recent outcome study, up to 62% of Priory patients maintain total abstinence one year after discharge and enjoy a significantly improved quality of life.

Drug addiction centres

The Priory have numerous drug addiction treatment clinics and hospitals throughout the UK.  Please select one of the following for further information:

Equine assisted psychotherapy

Most equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) programmes are based on the belief that people who are susceptible to addictions have a baseline of unresolved historic trauma creating an unbearable level of anxiety that leads to self-medication with drugs, alcohol, food, sex and other behaviours. EAP successfully helps treat addictions patients by providing a powerful and moving experiential therapy for trauma resolution that incorporates teaching and practising essential life skills; riding is not a part of EAP.

The Priory Group has incorporated EAP programmes as part of our highly successful addiction treatment programmes at the Priory Hospital North London and the Priory Hospital Roehampton.

Adolescent addiction treatment

Young people are experimenting with drugs at ever-decreasing ages, largely ignorant of the dangers that lie ahead.   Youngsters who start using drugs before the age of 15 are four times more likely to become addicted than those who start after the age of 21.  Adolescents who smoke cannabis at least 50 times before the age of 18 treble their chances of developing schizophrenia, while those who smoke cannabis just 10 times are twice as likely as non-users to suffer from mental illness.  As a response to this The Priory Hospital North London has launched a new adolescent addictions treatment unit for young people aged 12 - 18 with drug problems.

Early intervention is essential for successful clinical outcomes and quality of life.  Any teenager with a family history of drug abuse and/or a lack of social skills can move rapidly from experimentation to patterns of serious abuse or dependency.

Once Priory's adolescent patients are “chemically comfortable” an intensive psychotherapy programme tackles the issues behind the addiction.  Group and individual therapy and intensive family work form the cornerstones of the programme, augmented by interventions like equine assisted psychotherapy, creative writing, meditation and occupational therapy.

Referrals 

Priory welcomes patients from the NHS and the independent sector.  They accept referrals from GPs, consultant psychiatrists, PCT commissioners, CAMHS, general adult psychiatry services, drug and alcohol services, and psychotherapists.  Priory also accept self-referrals for their addictions treatment programme via a free addictions assessment.

The majority of referrals are made through the patient's GP. A referral can be made to the appropriate hospital's Admissions Office by telephone, e-mail, fax or in writing. The Admissions Office then passes the patient's details on to the appropriate consultant psychiatrist.  Priory accept 24/7 referrals. Urgent or out-of-hours appointments and admissions can be arranged immediately by telephoning the appropriate hospital.

Contact details

Priory Central Office
Priory House
Randalls Way
Leatherhead
Surrey

KT22 7TP

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