News Article

Mental health, addiction rehabilitation, and adult social care services provider Priory Group is set to open its first nurse-led community mental health service.

According to Priory, Melton Place in Leicestershire will provide support to adults with complex and enduring mental health need. The service will offer a non-hospital setting for people who no longer require inpatient care but are not yet ready for discharge into the community. This new residential provision meets key objective of the NHS 10-Year Health Plan as demand for mental healthcare continues to rise. The new service replaces Priory Hospital Burton Park which was a high-dependency rehabilitation service for people with an acquired brain injury.

The specialist team includes 24/7 nursing support and 24-hour on-call arrangements for physical health issues. Routine medication reviews and complex case management are overseen by a consultant psychiatrist, while positive behaviour support (PBS) is provided by practitioners as a core part of the recovery programme.

In a new report released last month, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) highlighted demand for mental healthcare continues to rise, with almost half a million new referrals to secondary mental health services every month.

For operators, the move illustrates the ongoing transition away from traditional long-stay hospital models toward more agile, community-centric settings.

Investors will view this expansion as a diversification into high-demand, reliable segments of the mental health market. The focus on specialised community provision aligns with market trends where for-profit providers are increasingly winning large-scale community health contracts.

Gary Stobbs, Managing Director (East) at Priory, said: “This service bridges the gap between hospital rehabilitation and community living and will avoid or reduce the length of hospital admission in an environment that supports recovery, personal growth, inclusion, confidence and skill acquisition. 

“The support provided at Melton Place is focused on stabilisation, recovery and progression towards further independence and has been designed in collaboration with system partners to meet regional demand.

“This service will be particularly appropriate for people who may have been stuck in hospital settings for significant periods of time – or would previously have been admitted – but would benefit more from a residential, community setting. 

“This new model of care will meet the growing needs of our communities and enable more people to receive specialist support closer to home.”