Before and after introducing the recovery approach at Broadmoor Hospital the views of patients and staff were assessed using two subscales of the Developing Recovery Enhancing Environments Measure (DREEM), which is used to assess recovery. Findings indicated a limited or negative effect on the perceptions of staff, but a small positive effect on those of patients on integrating recovery principles in care delivery. Simultaneous service reconfigurations may have had a negative impact. The DREEM subscales emerge as effective tools for evaluating specific interventions to promote the recovery approach in a forensic high secure environment.