LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ASSESSED BY HEALTHCARE COMMISSION

South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust, which provides mental health and learning disability services in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield is being assessed by the Healthcare Commission

The assessment, known as a clinical governance review, is part of a rolling programme that involves the Commission visiting every NHS organisation in England. The review looks at the care provided by the Trust from the perspective of service users – for example that services are continuously improving, that people are involved in decisions about their care and are treated with courtesy and respect, that staff are up to date in their working practices and that the Trust learns from any past mistakes.

Announcing the review, the Healthcare Commission Chairman, Sir Ian Kennedy, said: ‘We aim to focus on patients in everything we do and an important part of our review is to ask people about their experiences of local mental health and learning disability services.’

Judith Young, Chief Executive of the Trust said: ‘The review is an opportunity for us to demonstrate areas of good practice, but it will also help us identify areas where there is room for improvement. Our services are improving all the time and we have made lots of progress in the last twelve months. However, we need to build further on what we have achieved and this independent assessment of our services will help us do this.’