Norfolk and Waveney NHS Talking Therapies awarded prestigious Royal College of Psychiatrists accreditation
Norfolk and Waveney NHS Talking Therapies, provided by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), is celebrating after being awarded the prestigious Accreditation Programme for Psychological Therapies Services (APPTS) Accreditation by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
The accreditation, which was also granted to Suffolk Talking Therapies in September last year, recognises excellence in the delivery of high-quality, person-centred psychological therapy services and reflects the service's commitment to providing safe, effective and compassionate care for people across Norfolk and Waveney.
Awarded following a comprehensive review process, the APPTS Accreditation demonstrates that Norfolk and Waveney NHS Talking Therapies meets nationally recognised standards across a range of areas, including clinical effectiveness, patient experience, leadership and service delivery.
The APPTS standards align with the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) five key domains, providing assurance that psychological therapy services for adults in community settings are safe, effective, caring, responsive to people's needs and well-led.
As part of the assessment, reviewers recognised the service's strong commitment to involving people in decisions about their care and its consistent demonstration of compassion, dignity and respect in interactions with service users.
In addition to achieving APPTS Accreditation, the service was also awarded a Sustainability Accreditation, recognising its commitment to environmentally responsible practices and sustainable service delivery.
These dual achievements reflect the dedication and professionalism of staff across Norfolk and Waveney NHS Talking Therapies and reinforce the service's commitment to continuous improvement and delivering high-quality support for local communities.
Karl Williams, Director of Psychology at NSFT, said: "We're incredibly proud of this recognition. It is a testament to the hard work, passion and dedication of our staff who contributed to this project, and to our ongoing commitment to quality, integrity and sustainability.
"The entire self-review process was really rewarding. It gave us an opportunity to showcase many of the things we know we do well, while also helping us identify areas where we can continue to improve. We've received valuable feedback from the review team, not only recognising our achievements but also highlighting a small number of development areas, many of which we have already addressed."
The APPTS Accreditation is awarded by the Royal College of Psychiatrists' College Centre for Quality Improvement in partnership with the British Psychological Society and is recognised as a benchmark of quality for psychological therapy services across the UK.