We’re highlighted nationally as example of how to improve mental health services

We’ve been highlighted as an example of how to improve mental health services in a new publication by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. It makes sure that health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and encourages care services to improve.

We are one of seven mental health providers featuring in the CQC’s ‘Driving improvement’ report published on Thursday, 14 March 2018. It follows a programme of rapid improvement at the Trust between March 2016 when the CQC rated it as ‘requires improvement’ to April 2017 when the Trust was re-rated as ‘good’. The CQC chose to visit the Trust to learn lessons which could be shared with other organisations requiring improvement to become good or outstanding.

This comes as our chief executive has been named as one of the Health Service Journal (HSJ)’s top ten chief executives. Rob Webster, who joined the Trust in May 2016, was placed at number 6 in the HSJ’s ranking of all 249 provider Trust chief executives. He received praise for his “unbending commitment to system working and the personal example he sets in his leadership style.” It has been under Rob’s leadership that the Trust was re-rated by the CQC.

In producing the case study, the CQC interviewed a wide range of people, including the chief executive, medical director, nursing directors, other clinical and managerial staff as well as frontline staff. They also spoke to others who knew or worked with the Trust, such as service users and partners. The case study documents how improvements at the Trust have come about through a change in management culture, partnership work, staff engagement and empowerment, governance and working closely with the CQC itself.

Tim Breedon, director of nursing and quality, said: “We’re delighted that the CQC chose us to feature as a case study. The rapid improvements in the Trust are a testament to the hard work and determination of our staff. I hope that the insights we have been able to share will help other organisations on their improvement journeys.”