Service users, carers, families and staff have talked about their experiences of mental health and learning disability services as part of a listening project held last month.
Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) worked with service improvement experts (Trust Innovations) to hold 28 Listening Events throughout September in Barrow, Carlisle, Kendal and Whitehaven for people who access their services as well as carers, families, staff, partner agencies and Trust governors to explore what works well and what can be improved.
As well as attending listening sessions, there was also the opportunity to contribute through online and paper questionnaires which were made widely available and shared across a number of networks including the Trust’s social media.
A clear theme that came out was the dedication and caring nature of staff and strong feeling of local pride which meant that staff went the extra mile in their work. However, there were also a broad range of challenges shared including access to services, assessment and delivery of treatment.
Stephen Eames, Chief Executive of Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said: “I’m delighted at the positive findings about our staff that have come out of this comprehensive series of events. We hear every day about the excellent care provided by our staff, and I’m pleased that these listening events have reflected this”.
Mr Eames added: “There are however some clear challenges that have been highlighted and we must tackle these in our work to address the future of our mental health and learning disability services”.
The Trust Innovations team, said: “It was clear through recurring themes highlighted at these events that staff who work in these services are dedicated and provide an excellent level of care. We heard a great deal of positive views as well as useful feedback on areas where improvements could be made.”
The next step is to develop an outline business case which is expected to go to boards of the three organisations leading the work later this year. This includes Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust and Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.
The full report is available to read on the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust website.
