NSFT’s community older people’s mental health services rated ‘good’ by CQC | News and events

Community-based mental health services for older people run by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) have been rated ‘good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an inspection earlier this year.

The CQC assessed NSFT’s community mental health services for older people across Norfolk and Suffolk, including community mental health teams, memory services and crisis intervention services. Inspectors rated the service ‘good’ in all five domains of safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led, concluding that it was “performing well and meeting our expectations”.

The service was previously rated ‘good’ following its last inspection in 2019, with the latest report recognising the high-quality care, strong leadership and culture of continuous improvement demonstrated by colleagues across the service.

Inspectors identified some particularly strong areas of practice. Evidence-based care and treatment received the CQC’s highest possible score, with inspectors highlighting a wide range of treatment interventions, specialist expertise and innovative practice across the service. The report also recognised work to improve access and reduce waiting times, as well as strong collaboration with other services and partners to support people’s care.

The report highlighted a range of strengths, including:

• A positive culture of safety, openness and learning.
• Staff who understood how to identify, report and learn from incidents.
• Strong multidisciplinary working across services.
• Robust governance and quality oversight arrangements.
• Opportunities for staff learning, development and reflective practice.
• Community services that were meeting the needs of older people across Norfolk and Suffolk

The report also highlighted positive feedback from service users and carers, including:

• People felt involved in decisions about their care and treatment.
• Care plans were personalised, holistic and recovery-focused.
• Staff supported people to maintain their independence, choice and control.
• Staff listened to and understood people’s needs and acted to minimise distress and concern.
• Services made it easy for people to share feedback, ideas and concerns.
• Patients and families were involved in planning ongoing care and support.

The latest inspection follows a series of positive CQC reports across NSFT services and provides further evidence of the progress being made as part of the Trust’s wider improvement journey. Eight out of 11 of the Trust’s core services are now rated ‘good’ by the CQC, which is a real tribute to the hard work and dedication of our colleagues.

Caroline Donovan, Chief Executive Officer at NSFT, said: “We are delighted that our community older people’s mental health services have been rated ‘good’ overall by the CQC.

“This report recognises the dedication, professionalism and compassion shown every day by colleagues working across our older people’s services. Supporting older people with mental health needs, as well as their families and carers, is incredibly important work and I am pleased that the quality of care being delivered has been recognised by inspectors.

“I am particularly pleased that the report recognises not only the quality and safety of our services, but also the positive experiences of the people who use them. The CQC found that service users were involved in decisions about their care, supported to maintain their independence and treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Those findings reflect the values we want people to experience whenever they come into contact with our services.

“While we know there is always more to do, this report represents another positive step forward in our improvement journey and reflects the commitment of our teams to providing safer, kinder and better care.”

Zoë Billingham CBE, Chair of NSFT, said: “This is really good news and, first and foremost, I want to congratulate our colleagues working across older people’s community mental health services in Norfolk and Suffolk. This rating is a tribute to their hard work, commitment and the care they provide every day.

“I’m particularly pleased that the CQC heard such positive feedback from patients and families and found that service users are actively involved in decisions about their own care. Keeping the voices and experiences of those who use our services at the heart of how we improve them really matters to me.

“The CQC’s findings are another important sign of the progress we are making across the Trust. Eight of our 11 core services are now rated Good, and colleagues should feel rightly proud of how far we have come.

“Our ambition is to build on that progress and become one of the most improved, high-performing, compassionate and collaborative mental health Trusts in the country, delivering consistently excellent mental health care across Norfolk and Suffolk. We still have work to do, but results like this show just how much is possible.”

The full report can be viewed on the CQC website.