Priory Hospital Southampton - Southampton

Melissa C.

I attended this treatment facility around 2018. The experience has stayed with me due to a bad experience with one counsellor. I'm now 4 years clean and after much work on myself I feel I can write an honest review.
It's a lovely location, rooms are comfortable, Nursing staff were fantastic as were the doctors and the other counselors.
The counsellor I didn't have a good experience with was very open about her story to everyone(she came to AA when she was 19, met a man on a motorcycle and had spiritual awakening and never drank again).
It started when we were in group therapy and she said something to me that I can see today triggered me. It went back and forth and finally she asked how I was feeling and I responded and calmly said "I'm feeling like I really dislike you as a person". Well let me tell you... My card was marked on that day!! I apologised at the end of the session and everything seemed fine or so I thought until the next group session and every one after!
It became apparent she wasn't happy with me but she wouldn't actually say it. She would go round the room at the start or end of the session and check in with everyone (multiple times I was the only one left out of this even though I was sat there, it was quite obvious). I just felt she was being passive aggressive with me. In one session she asked us "what did drugs do for you" at my turn I started to say " well at first I felt like they gave me confidence and..." She cut me off in a raised voice saying "no no no your wrong". She literally had cut me off mid sentence and I was about to follow on with all the things drugs took from me but she didn't let me. The tone of her voice and the way she spoke to me I felt extremely shamed in front of the group. When I read out my life story and we all gave feedback to each other she really kept emphasising how 'awful' I was in addiction. She just didn't go that hard on the others in the group.
There was also another lady there(4th admission). I noticed the same sort of behaviours towards this lady. On one occasion in a group where the lady said something she responded with "well how many times have you been in here (name)!" and rolled her eyes. I just felt she had her favourites then she had her scapegoats.
I did approach her when this kept going on and explained I felt she was upset with me and could feel it in the group, I apologised again if I'd upset her.
In another group she was tearful as she had lost a close friend and she was clearly upset. She asked us all to say a prayer later for her deceased friend and spoke about her a lot. I understand how hard grief can be but I didn't think this was professional, we all had a lot going on and needed to focus on getting better. She probably needed to take a few days of compassionate leave so she could effectively do her job. This just showed me her professional boundaries were not healthy.
I ended up leaving early, I take full responsibility for that. I'm not in anyway saying it was this councellors fault. However it did enforce my decision when I started having doubts. She wasn't happy I was going, she was extremely short, and rude to me. When my peers were saying their goodbyes she basically told me she didn't want me anywhere near them. She could have gone about it in a different way. None of the other members of staff had any issues with people saying their goodbyes. I had a doctor and another councellor who spent some time with me before I left, they explained about the high risks of overdose when someone leaves and they obviously tried to convince me to stay but respected my decision. ALL the members of staff said goodbye and wished me all the best of luck APART from this councillor. It just confirmed to me I wasn't wrong about her.
Ultimately if a councellor hasn't got good professional boundaries and is unable to separate their own opinions from their professional work, they are probably in the wrong line of work. I felt this councellor let her own issues/behaviours leak into her work and just wasn't professional.

Maxine H.

I thought if celebrities use this place and pay that they must be good.mental health doctors they are not.they don't listen and send really unwell patients out to either commit crime or hurt themselves or worse.if my son hurts himself i will blame you Dr johnothan or what ever your name .i said he was unwell and the day you discharged him he was taken back to hospital that night.you gave him terrible accommodation even for a sane person.and no help no mental health care there is that because its NHS and not private because they look incompetent to me.

Jenny F.

Sara is a wonderful therapist, she made me feel understood and I felt at ease sharing with her. She is very empathetic and genuinely cares.

Gabrielle C.

Worst abuse of my life I am severely physically damaged for life amd have lost everything I worked a lot for. I have nightmares about what went on there. Lies and gaskighting is what this place relies on the staff are always laughing amongst themselves at patients and chatting inst3ad of working. Everything goes wrong nothing goes as said always errors. I am completely pushed out of society now due to this. It is deliberate how these plaves are run purely p.r and population control. There was nothing wrong with me when admitted. Everyone lied I was released in 3 amd half weeks after being tortured all this time I scarred for life. I was socially outgoing and happiest I'd ever been and regaining physical stre.gth amd vitality recovered from s3cere abuse in past ptsd. Now o have worst ever because of being tortured by all the staff at the priory. Pyscopaths as they smiled widely lying.

My body is in a severe state of shock following and caught a strep infection there whilst so weakened by all the torture amd exposed. Have been seriously ill with infections for over 6 months now mu m9bility which I did tell them would happen about as they tortured me. I'm am extremely soft and strong person but worked my whole life to be in my power with it and heal. Was thriving. Now ruined. Will take rest of my life to recover my health and will die m7ch younger. I'm 34. Was hoping to have a life make a big difference in the world waa amaz8ng what 8v mageded to achieve physically and all ways. So helping others and having children a family after working with all of me to make this a possiblity amd never hav8ng acces to any of the normal things in past being so severely d8sabled. I am just a wreck had everything taken from me again by the entitled corrupt slave masters. Now I can do noth8ng barely. Anyway this is jumbled but im a wreck.

Zeeno M.

I have watched my family member get worse under their care
Avoid at all costs to save your loved ones. This place is dismissal staff are rude, and discriminatory. This place looks pretty but hides atrocities.

Hayley B.

I hated being in here. They didn’t help me at all. I still after 5 months still haven’t got some of my stuff back. They lied about when I was discharged. They said the opposite of what I said. It’s was so triggering being in there. During the week I couldn’t phone family till 4:00pm. I was never supported. If someone was banging their head against the wall you had to go and tell someone and then still after like 5 minuets they still didn’t do anything and when they did all you would hear was the child screaming. It’s not a safe place as people were still able to hurt their selfs. There’s no curtains for privacy. The toilet door wasn’t even a door you could still see in from the top and bottom. There is cameras in the room but the do not work. Also because I wanted to go home they put a section on me. They didn’t listen to what I had to say. You couldn’t have your phone although in dragonfly in Lowestoft you are aloud. I wouldn’t advise anyone to go there. It doesn’t even deserve one star.

Donovan R.

The health care assistants that work here are okay at what they do, providing the poor working conditions. Unfortunately they are let down by an unprofessional, whilst somewhat poorly trained/under qualified Human Sources and management team. Leading to a very odd atmosphere that can not be trusted.
Cabinets left open with medication on display, rushed through room searches, medication being injected at the drop of a hat because there are not enough staff to handle an escalated situation.
All resulting in poor treatment that gets swept under a very large carpet....

Gina C.

I had a nervous breakdown and spent quite a few weeks in the priory. The care i received was over and above what i expected. The staff were wonderful and the builing itself was beautiful and so were the grounds. A very pleasant stay for a very unpleasant reason. I owe the priory my life and sanity. Marchwood will always be remembered fondly.