Broadmoor is a specialist psychiatric hospital which provides assessment, treatment and care in conditions of high security for men aged 18 and above from London and the South of England.
It’s one of three high secure psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales and treats people with mental illness and personality disorders who represent a high degree of harm to themselves or others.
Broadmoor is internationally renowned for its highly specialised care and research work.
The hospital is part of West London NHS Trust which has been authorised by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to provide high secure services.
It’s rated Good by the Care Quality Commission.
From Saturday 29 January 2022, we will be accepting face-to-face patient visits.
This will only apply to wards that are not considered Covid-19 outbreak wards. For wards where there is an identified outbreak, no visitors can be permitted.
Visitors will need to provide evidence of a negative lateral flow test (LFT) test taken no more than 24 hours prior to a visit and recorded on the Government website here.
Once recorded, you will get a text or email notification which will need to be shown to staff at reception before a visit can proceed.
We would like to thank you for your understanding during these difficult times of Covid-19 and hope you understand that these measures are in place to keep patients, carers and staff safe from the risk of infection.
Please do not hesitate to contact your relative/friend’s Social Worker for more information.
Child visits
Find out more about child visits at Broadmoor hospital here.
Social work support
The Broadmoor social work team is here to support you through these difficult times. Please do not hesitate to contact the allocated Social Worker for your relative / friend who will be able to provide more information and additional support in how to take and record your LFT. If you need to speak to a social worker, please call 01344 754523.
How to stay in touch
You can book virtual visits in the usual way and get in touch with patients by telephone, email or letter.
Facilities for visitors
Families, friends and carers are welcome to visit the hospital as outlined above.
Facilities at the hospital includes:
- Disabled access to all parts of the hospital
- Dedicated visiting rooms on the wards, as well as a main visits suite
- Comfortable, spacious and private waiting areas
- A suite for child visits. This is close to the main reception, and includes an enclosed outside garden area.
For more information on visits, please download the Information for Carers leaflet
For more information on child visits, please download Information about Child Visits leaflet
The high secure service’s multidisciplinary team includes:
- Specialist clinicians
- Psychiatrists
- Nurses
- Psychologists
- Pharmacists
- Social workers
- Occupational therapists
- Specialist therapists
- Support and vocational staff.
Broadmoor Hospital is one of only 3 high-secure hospitals in England.
We’ve been providing specialist care for over 150 years and our work is internationally recognised as being at the forefront of forensic mental health care.
The new hospital opened in December 2019 after a comprehensive redevelopment and offers a modern environment and facilities designed to enhance the care we provide.
We can offer you:
- A recruitment and retention allowance of £2,300 per annum pro rata
- Relocation expenses of up to £8,000 if you meet the criteria under the Trust’s relocation assistance policy
- Deposit-free temporary accommodation for six months (as long it’s more than 40 miles from your home)
- High cost area supplement fringe allowance
- A well-established preceptorship training programme, with a £1,000 pay incentive after 12 months, following completion of the programme.
- Supervision and mentorship, ongoing professional development, a stimulating and challenging working environment and opportunities for career development at West London NHS Trust
- A generous benefits package.
If you’d like to join the team at Broadmoor:
Contact Ray Langshaw on Raymond.langshaw@westlondon.nhs.uk
The new Broadmoor Hospital opened in December 2019. It was purpose built to ensure a safe, therapeutic environment for the care, treatment and rehabilitation of patients who need high secure psychiatric care.
Read the Broadmoor redevelopment story
A safe, therapeutic environment
At any one time, we care for up to 210 men, over the age of 18 years, who suffer from a mental disorder and are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.
- The average length of stay at the hospital is five and a half years, although many patients’ stays are considerably shorter. Patients are transferred to conditions of lower security once the risks that they posed are reduced following rigorous assessment by a range of clinicians.
- Patients are admitted from prison, the courts, other secure or psychiatric units. Occasionally, patients may be admitted directly from the community or police custody. Many patients have not committed an offence, but are considered to pose such a degree of risk that they need treatment in a high secure environment.
- Patients are transferred back to the criminal justice system or conditions of lower security when they no longer need care in a high secure environment.
Recovery and rehabilitation
We work with patients on their rehabilitation and recovery, supporting them to take a more active role in, and responsibility for, their own care. The hospital provides a full range of therapeutic treatments and activities, tailored to each patient's needs. These include:
- Therapy and psychology-based treatment
- Education and vocational activities
- Medication
- Pastoral support.
These aim to maximise every patient’s opportunity for recovery.
Activities and social interaction
Activities and social interaction are very important to ensure that patients remain engaged in their treatment and don’t become withdrawn. Activities are designed to support patients’ recovery. These include:
- Education
- Vocational training
- Arts and crafts
- Sports
- Social activities.
We encourage the active involvement of patients, their families and carers in the development of patients’ care and treatment plans and in the wider work of the hospital.
The wards
Multi-disciplinary teams are located on every ward, working with patients to promote their rehabilitation and recovery:
- Wards are spacious, with plenty of natural light and access to bright, attractive ward gardens
- The layout allows more supervised (rather than escorted) movement of patients within the hospital. This is better for the safety and wellbeing of the patients and allows staff to focus on patient care and therapy.
Central Building
The Central Building is at the heart of the hospital, surrounded by the wards and a large central garden. It houses the hospital’s therapies, activities and patient services in a single area that’s easy to access.
Features include:
- A café, shop and hairdresser
- Woodwork, pottery and craft rooms
- Classrooms for education and vocational training
- A multi-faith sanctuary
- A physical healthcare area, where patients can see a GP, dentist
- And other visiting professionals who provide physical healthcare.
The hospital's CQC rating
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) last inspected Broadmoor in 2018 and rated the hospital as Good overall with a rating of Outstanding for caring. The CQC’s report highlights our work in encouraging co-production and patient involvement and in making sure that patients are able to raise issues and identify areas for improvement.
Read the latest Broadmoor CQC report