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About us
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At Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust we provide mental health, substance misuse and learning disability services across Norfolk and Suffolk. At the Trust, we believe in recovery and wellbeing, and understand the importance of good physical health, maintaining relationships and achieving a balance between treatments and continuing an active life.

Service users and carers are at the centre of all aspects of our work and are vital in helping shape and support our service strategy. Our strategy supports and enables people with mental health problems, or who need to improve their wellbeing, to live a fulfilling life and make their personal recovery journey.

We aim to be recognised as a national leader through the provision and co-ordination of high quality, excellent and cost-effective services, together with a commitment to research and innovation. We aim to be an expert in mental health whole life care and wellbeing, known by the local community to provide excellent advice, care and treatment in a friendly, flexible and timely manner. 

 How we fit into the NHS structure

​The following information has been taken from NHS Choices. For more information about the structure of the NHS, please visit their website.

 NHS England

​Formerly established as the NHS Commissioning Board in October 2012, NHS England is an independent body, at arm's length from the government.

Its main role is to improve health outcomes for people in England:

  • Providing national leadership for improving outcomes and driving up the quality of care

  • Overseeing the operation of clinical commissioning groups

  • Allocating resources to clinical commissioning groups

  • Commissioning primary care and specialist services

For more information, visit NHS England.

 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)

​Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) used to commission most NHS services and control 80% of the NHS budget. On April 1 2013, PCTs were abolished and replaced with Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). CCGs have taken on many of the functions of PCTs and some functions previously undertaken by the Department of Health.

All GP practices now belong to a CCG, which also include other health professionals such as nurses.

CCGs commission most services including:

  • Planned hospital care

  • Rehabilitative care

  • Urgent and emergency care (including out-of-hours)

  • Community health services

  • Mental health and learning disability services

CCGs can commission any service provider that meets NHS standards and costs. Service providers can be NHS hospitals, social enterprises, charities, or private sector companies.

However, CCGs must be assured of the quality of services they commission, taking into account both National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines and the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) data about service providers.

Both NHS England and CCGs have a duty to involve their patients, carers and the public in decisions about the services they commission.

Find your local CCG.