The Cottage (Priory, Life Works)

Assessed 2026-10-01

Headline basis: Public evidenceThe headline number is the public score, not the extended score., LROAS 1.0.0, edition 2026-10-01

Public-evidence total: 36

The sum of the ten criterion scores, from 10 to 100, using evidence anyone can check, including the clinic's own pages as self-declared statements. For the licence element of C2 only, it can also use an authority ruling held in our sealed evidence room. It is the only number used for the rank.

ConfidenceHow well the evidence supports the score.: medium. ProvisionalA check was still open when the edition closed, for example a register lookup or a video not yet received, or evidence under embargo.: C10.

C1 Client separation and occupancy · 4

The Cottage caters for one client at a time, with a private bedroom and bathroom, a self-contained kitchen and a secluded garden. Bands 6 and above require no group therapy anywhere in the programme, and the clinic offers optional group therapy at a nearby Priory hospital, so those bands stay closed. Band 5 would need a confidentiality measure beyond statute, and none is named. Band 4 holds because the address it shares with Life Works House has at most 18 clients on site. Differences in capacity figures between sources do not trigger a deduction.

ConfidenceHow well the evidence supports the score.: high

Known gapsFacts the assessment needed but could not establish.:

• The 18-client figure for the shared address is not captured as its own evidence item.

Sources (3 cited items):

• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): The Cottage offers confidential treatment catering for just one person at a time, with a private room, a private bathroom, two modern bathrooms, a self-contained kitchen and a secluded garden.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): Every aspect of treatment at The Cottage is delivered on a dedicated one-to-one basis, and there is also the opportunity to attend a nearby Priory hospital's group therapy programme if the client wishes.
• cqc.org.uk: The Care Quality Commission provider record for Life Works Community Limited lists one location, Life Works House at the same street address. The Cottage does not appear on it.

C2 Clinical governance and medical cover · 5

The registered location at this address is Life Works House, provider Life Works Community Limited, regulated for residential substance misuse services and rated Good, and its inspection summary names The Cottage as an annex of that location, so the licensing element is met. A lead clinician is referred to but never named, with no discipline, so the medical lead element is not met, and band 6 requires it. No overnight physician presence, on-site detox for Cottage clients, named escalation hospital or accreditor register entry is established, and severe conditions are listed without a defined programme.

ConfidenceHow well the evidence supports the score.: high

Known gapsFacts the assessment needed but could not establish.:

• The provider record for Life Works Community Limited lists only Life Works House and does not show The Cottage by name; the annex is named only in the 2018 inspection summary.

Sources (8 cited items):

• cqc.org.uk: The registered location at this address is Life Works House, provider Life Works Community Limited, regulated for residential substance misuse services and acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care, rated Good.
• cqc.org.uk: The inspection summary for Life Works House, report published 27 November 2018, describes The Cottage as an annex next to the main building where staff provided a bespoke care package.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): The team page lists psychiatrists, psychotherapists and counsellors, registered mental health nurses and healthcare assistants and GPs with a special interest in addictions and mental health by role only, and refers to a lead clinician without a name.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): The conditions page lists individuals with acute psychiatry needs, people detained under the Mental Health Act, high-dependency care, clients requiring 24/7 clinical supervision and people with complex or dual diagnosis, as a list with no defined programme.
• JCI accredited organizations list: Search of JCI accredited organizations list. Scope: register entry for the clinic or its operator (accreditation). Result: source unreachable at time of search: HTTP 403 on fetch.
• BACP accredited services directory: Search of BACP accredited services directory. Scope: register entry for the clinic or its operator (accreditation). Result: no record found.
• CQC location page Life Works House: Search of CQC location page Life Works House. Scope: register entry for the clinic or its operator (licence class). Result: record found.
• CQC provider services list, Life Works Community Limited: Search of CQC provider services list, Life Works Community Limited. Scope: register entry for the clinic or its operator (licence class). Result: record found.

C3 Diagnostic depth on admission · 2

The admission path consists of an information pack, a complimentary initial assessment in person or by telephone to discuss needs and recommend options, and a recovery plan. The pages do not describe the initial assessment as psychiatric, medical or psychological and name no clinician, and no examination on admission, laboratory panel or written diagnostic formulation is published, so no assessment element is met.

ConfidenceHow well the evidence supports the score.: medium

Sources (1 cited items):

• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): Step one is contacting a bespoke services co-ordinator for an information pack, step two is a complimentary confidential initial assessment in person or by telephone to discuss needs and recommend suitable treatment options, and step three is creating a recovery plan.

C4 Clinical intensity · 3

Treatment is delivered one-to-one with a primary therapist, but no session count or number of hours is published. Every clinician Priory lists for The Cottage names Life Works House or a nearby Priory hospital as their main location, so the team is pooled rather than dedicated. No overnight clinical presence in the cottage and no length of stay is published, which keeps the criterion at band 3.

ConfidenceHow well the evidence supports the score.: low

Sources (3 cited items):

• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): Every aspect of treatment is delivered on a dedicated one-to-one basis, working closely with a primary therapist. No session count or number of hours is given.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): Every clinician Priory lists for The Cottage names Life Works House or a nearby Priory hospital as their main location, with The Cottage under also practises at.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): The guidance price is stated per week with no length of stay, and Priory states only that programmes are individually tailored.

C5 Continuity and aftercare · 3

One aftercare element is met: personalised relapse prevention planning during the stay, outlining aftercare options and support for loved ones. No duration, format, price or inclusion, team continuity, psychiatric follow-up or step-down is published for this unit. Twelve months of free online aftercare is published for Life Works House clients only and is not stated to apply to The Cottage, so it is not credited.

ConfidenceHow well the evidence supports the score.: medium

Sources (2 cited items):

• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): Relapse prevention planning helps outline aftercare treatment options, support group roles and what to do in the event of a relapse, with practical guidance and support for loved ones through the recovery journey.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): Twelve months of free online aftercare with weekly online sessions is published for the adjacent clinic's clients only, and Priory does not state that it applies to The Cottage.

C6 Admission integrity and commercial conduct · 5

A sweep of the group's own domain found no page that ranks clinics, no unlabelled sponsored recognition and no content addressed to AI assistants; the robots file carries standard crawl rules only. One positive signal is credited: a weekly guidance price is published on The Cottage treatment package page. No referral-fee position and no policy of declining unsuitable admissions is published, and clients detained under the Mental Health Act are listed, so no voluntary-only admission signal applies.

ConfidenceHow well the evidence supports the score.: medium

Known gapsFacts the assessment needed but could not establish.:

• One evidence item states that no price for The Cottage is published on its own pages, while another records a weekly guidance price on the treatment package page; the positive signal rests on the guidance price.

Sources (6 cited items):

• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): The robots file contains standard crawl rules only, with no directives addressed to AI assistants, and the llms and ai-instructions addresses return HTTP 404.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): The live location page title is descriptive rather than a ranking, and no page ranks or lists clinics. A superlative title held in the search index for an older variant is recorded only.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): The guidance price is stated per week with no length of stay, and Priory states only that programmes are individually tailored.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): No price for The Cottage is published on the clinic's own pages; the GBP 495 per night and GBP 6,930 per 14 days on the captured Life Works location page are the rates for Life Works House, a separate service at the same address.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): The conditions page lists individuals with acute psychiatry needs, people detained under the Mental Health Act, high-dependency care, clients requiring 24/7 clinical supervision and people with complex or dual diagnosis, as a list with no defined programme.
• clinic and group domains, web search: Search of clinic and group domains, web search. Scope: domains checked priorygroup.com (The Cottage page and its five subpages, locations/the-cottage and its indexed amp variant, locations/life-works, find-a-location results, about-us, complaints page and OP03 policy PDF, privacy policy, ten consultant profile pages, robots.txt, /llms.txt HTTP 404.... Result: sweep recorded; outcome per the C6 V elements.

C7 Transparency toward the client · 3

Two transparency elements are met: ownership is disclosed and consistent with the company register, with a person holding 75 percent or more over Life Works Community Limited, and the complaints policy names an independent adjudication service as stage three. No fee inclusions, payment, refund or extension terms, licence reference, operating entity for the unit on the clinic's own pages, inspection result, retention period or statement of limits is published. The privacy notice holds retention periods on an internal intranet only. No contradiction applies.

ConfidenceHow well the evidence supports the score.: high

Sources (3 cited items):

• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): The complaints policy, version 12 issued 23 June 2026, names an independent sector complaints adjudication service as stage three for privately funded healthcare and the ombudsman for NHS-funded care.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): The privacy notice names a group data controller with no company number, states that records are kept in a variety of paper and electronic forms, and holds retention periods on an internal intranet rather than publishing them.
• find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk: Life Works Community Limited, company 04740254, is active, incorporated 22 April 2003, and its person with significant control holds 75 percent or more of the shares, notified 6 April 2016.

C8 Track record and regulator standing · 5

No final finding and no enforcement is listed against Life Works Community Limited, the registered provider at this address. The last inspection of the location, whose report published on 27 November 2018 names The Cottage annex, rated it Good, but it falls outside the 5-year and 3-year windows for inspection standing, and no first-hand reporting or independent review platform figure was found. Fines against Priory Healthcare Limited concern other Priory hospitals and a sibling entity, so they are recorded and not scored. With no finding and none of the independent signals, band 5 applies.

ConfidenceHow well the evidence supports the score.: high

Known gapsFacts the assessment needed but could not establish.:

• The operating entity of The Cottage is not named on a public record beyond the CQC location, so attribution of court or regulator records to it is not settled.

Sources (13 cited items):

• cqc.org.uk: The registered location was inspected in September 2018 and rated Good, with earlier inspections in 2016, 2014 and between 2009 and 2013, no later assessment listed and no enforcement listed.
• cqc.org.uk: The inspection summary for Life Works House, report published 27 November 2018, describes The Cottage as an annex next to the main building where staff provided a bespoke care package.
• find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk: The operating company at this address was incorporated on 22 April 2003 and is active, recorded as a years-in-operation floor flag only.
• press.hse.gov.uk: The Health and Safety Executive reports that Priory Healthcare Limited was fined GBP 140,000 at Southwark Crown Court on 14 November 2023 over another Priory hospital; a sibling-entity finding at another site, recorded and not scored.
• CQC location page Life Works House: Search of CQC location page Life Works House. Scope: register entry for the clinic or its operator (last inspection). Result: record found.
• CQC Life Works House inspection summary: Search of CQC Life Works House inspection summary. Scope: register entry for the clinic or its operator (last inspection). Result: record found.
• CQC provider 1-101617818 overview and services pages: Search of CQC provider 1-101617818 overview and services pages. Scope: CQC provider 1-101617818 overview and services pages. Result: record found: No court or regulator outcome found against Life Works Community Limited (CQC provider at the address; CQC lists no enforcement, last inspected 27 November 2018, rated Good). Recorded, parent....
• UK Find Case Law: Search of UK Find Case Law. Scope: "Life Works Community" (2 results, both GMC appeals about an individual doctor, person-centred, not used). Result: record found: No court or regulator outcome found against Life Works Community Limited (CQC provider at the address; CQC lists no enforcement, last inspected 27 November 2018, rated Good). Recorded, parent....
• CourtListener opinions and RECAP API (v4 search): Search of CourtListener opinions and RECAP API (v4 search). Scope: "Life Works Community" (type o). Result: record found: No court or regulator outcome found against Life Works Community Limited (CQC provider at the address; CQC lists no enforcement, last inspected 27 November 2018, rated Good). Recorded, parent....
• general web search: Search of a general web search engine. Scope: "Life Works" Priory Woking CQC enforcement OR warning notice OR prosecution. Result: record found: No court or regulator outcome found against Life Works Community Limited (CQC provider at the address; CQC lists no enforcement, last inspected 27 November 2018, rated Good). Recorded, parent....
• general web search: Search of a general web search engine. Scope: CQC prosecution Priory Healthcare Limited fined Woodbourne Birmingham Magistrates 2024. Result: record found: No court or regulator outcome found against Life Works Community Limited (CQC provider at the address; CQC lists no enforcement, last inspected 27 November 2018, rated Good). Recorded, parent....
• press and news search: Search of press and news search. Scope: first-hand bylined reporting from inside the facility, last 5 years. Result: no record found.
• statutory regulator records: Search of statutory regulator records. Scope: inspection history and grades of this site. Result: record found: Life Works House inspected 26 to 27 September 2018 (residential substance misuse service, Good), 11 to 13 July 2016 (Good), 9 July 2014 (Good), earlier inspections 2009 to 2013. No inspection or....

C9 Environment, safety and nutrition · 5

C9 is the mean of a housing score of 6 and a nutrition score of 3, which is 4.5, rounded half up to 5. Housing meets five elements, including a secluded garden, named service roles with chauffeur and housekeeping, a 2018 inspection report naming the annex as a licensed-address record, and St Peter's Hospital A&E in Chertsey, open 24 hours, about 13 minutes by road, a time derived by Leading Rehabs and not published by the clinic. No therapy room, emergency equipment or medication policy is published. Nutrition credits one element only: a registered dietitian who lists The Cottage as an additional practice location, with meals otherwise described only as regular and nutritious.

ConfidenceHow well the evidence supports the score.: high

Known gapsFacts the assessment needed but could not establish.:

• The road time rests on a postcode-level point.
• The element reading for this criterion is not published as a list; the band is explained in the reasoning.

Sources (5 cited items):

• cqc.org.uk: The inspection summary for Life Works House, report published 27 November 2018, describes The Cottage as an annex next to the main building where staff provided a bespoke care package.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): The garden is secluded, housekeeping includes complimentary laundry and dry-cleaning, the lounge is described as ideal for visitors, and a chauffeur provides transport to off-site facilities.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): A registered dietitian holding a BSc in dietetics and nutrition and an MSc in clinical dietetics, stated as registered with the health professions regulator, has a main location at the adjacent clinic and lists The Cottage as an additional practice location.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): Nutritional support is described only as regular nutritious meals, and the unit advertises bespoke dining with chefs listed by role on the team page.
• ashfordstpeters.nhs.uk: The hospital trust states: "St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey provides a 24-hour Accident and Emergency Service". Leading Rehabs computed 13 minutes and 9.0 km by road from the unit's postcode.

C10 Clinical seniority and academic standing · 1

No credentialed clinician counts in the core team for this unit. The team page lists roles only, with an unnamed lead clinician, and the ten named people who list The Cottage as an additional practice location each have a main post at Life Works House or a nearby Priory hospital, with no stated case role, governance role or time share at the unit. With a core of zero, no registered credential can raise the score, whatever the register status.

ProvisionalA check was still open when the edition closed, for example a register lookup or a video not yet received, or evidence under embargo.: Clinician register lookups for this criterion were still open at the edition cut-off (see known_gaps). The points count as assessed on the evidence available; the band may change when the lookups are completed, which is resolved in a later edition.

ConfidenceHow well the evidence supports the score.: medium

Known gapsFacts the assessment needed but could not establish.:

• Seven register lookups on the medical and allied health registers were not complete at publication; the C10 band may change when they are completed.

Sources (3 cited items):

• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): The team page lists roles only, including psychiatrists, psychotherapists and counsellors, nurses, complementary therapists, GPs, an equine therapist, fitness trainers, chefs and housekeepers, and refers to an unnamed lead clinician.
• The Cottage (Priory, Life Works): Ten named people on the group's consultant profiles list The Cottage under also practises at, each with a main location at the adjacent clinic or a nearby Priory hospital and no stated case role or time share at the unit.
• gmc-uk.org: Seven register lookups remained open on 2026-09-15, five on the medical register and two on the allied health register, because both refuse automated capture. No registration number is published for anyone.