Case Study: Priory Group

Priory Group, the UK’s leading independent provider of mental health services, were looking to digitise their processes. They knew they needed a software partner who was informed, accessible and understanding. Nourish Care were well equipped, in terms of both technical knowledge and personal experience, to support such an ambitious undertaking. The end results are incredibly positive for everyone involved. The success highlighted by Priory saving over 80,000 staff hours. As well as being named runner-up at the 2023/4 Health Tech Awards. In the ‘Frontline Digitisation Project of the Year’ category for their use of the Nourish system!

Attention on Outcomes

Priory’s primary focus is always on outcomes, as their teams across the UK work tirelessly to help the people utilising their services to live the lives they want to, how they want to. The Priory team treat more than 70 conditions including depression, anxiety, addictions, and eating disorders, as well as children’s mental health, across their nationwide network of sites. They also support autistic adults and adults with a learning disability, Prader-Willi Syndrome, brain injuries and older people within their specialist residential care and supported living facilities.

“The time and expertise we invest in supporting our residents makes a huge difference to them. Our adult care services are home to some of the most vulnerable people in the UK, including autistic people and those with a complex learning disability; it means the world to us to see them living their lives to the full.”

Christine Keyse Managing Director for South West and Wales

A Patient Process

This focus meant that Priory approached their digitisation journey patiently, working with Nourish every step of the way to ensure that nothing was overlooked over the course of the project.

“Good systems help us make a massive difference to people’s lives,” said Rebekah Cresswell, Priory Chief Executive Officer. “The scale and impact of this project is huge. I am really proud of the team in terms of managing this large-scale transformational change.”

The rollout of Nourish to all of Priory’s residences took 18 months. Everyone involved understood the significance of their role and worked together to make it a success.

“Nourish digital records are now being used at all of our 190 care homes, and directly impacting the care of more than 2,300 residents, saving on duplication of paper records, ensuring increased consistency of record keeping, and freeing up thousands of hours of our colleagues’ time, so they can even better support people to live their life. This is an example of how investment by private equity in the social care market can make a huge difference.”

Rebekah Cresswell Chief Executive Officer.

Keeping Everyone Involved

Priory’s first and foremost concern regarding digital implementation was always centred on the outcomes of their residents. Throughout the implementation process they routinely checked in with their teams and residents for updates on their experiences with the new system.

“My favourite piece of feedback from our colleagues is ‘we have more time to care,” said Christine Keyse. “Planned, developed and implemented in partnership with Nourish, this bespoke digital care records system also enables the people we support to build their own profiles and input into how the care provided to them is delivered.”

Cost Saving

Along with the human impact their digital rollout has had, there are also very promising financial trends developing. Priory anticipates a time-saving benefit of one hour per colleague per week, which amounts to a £1.1 million saving in 2024, along with an increase in occupancy levels due to enhanced quality and reputation, resulting in a revenue boost of £258,000. In addition, a £25,000 reduction in stationery and printing costs is predicted. Overall, the anticipated ROI is 161 percent, with a payback period of seven months after the implementation of Nourish. These figures are incredible and reflect the effectiveness of making the right investment when choosing the right digital partner for your service.

Go Far Together

Person-centred, empowering care is the ideal outcome for all providers. We all want the best results possible. Such ambitions can only be achieved through a collaborative effort, with a combination of expertise across technology, care provision and life. An ongoing undertaking that Nourish and Priory remain committed to as we progress into the future together.

“Nourish is proud of the impact it makes on the people we help support,” said Paul Barnes, Chief Commercial Officer at Nourish. “To work with Priory Group on their digital transformation journey has been a real pleasure. The professionalism and dedication of their team has enabled implementation of Nourish at an impressive pace. We’re now looking forward to measuring the outcomes. Nourish and Priory Group are committed to work closely together. To go beyond simply evidencing care delivery, the future here is exciting for everyone.”

If you’d like to learn more about working with Nourish, contact us here.