England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals has rated the services provided by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust as Good following inspections by the Care Quality Commission.
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust provides health and social care for over 2.5 million people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities. The trust has services across Bedfordshire, Essex, Suffolk and Luton. The trust was formed on 1 April 2017 following the merger of North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.
The trust provides mental health and social care services for adults of working age, older adults, children and young people, learning disability services, perinatal services and community health services.
Between 30 April and 16 May 2018, a team of CQC inspectors visited the trust’s core services. Inspectors rated the care provided by staff to be Good regarding whether services were effective, caring, responsive and well-led and rated as Requires Improvement regarding whether services were safe.
Inspectors were impressed by the extent to which the values of the trust have been embraced by everyone and displayed by all the staff they met. This was particularly important following the merger of the trust in April 2017.
Senior managers were very visible in core services and many members of staff told us that the board members were approachable, had visited their services and were willing to hear comments.
Deputy Chief Inspector for Hospitals (lead for mental health), Dr Paul Lelliott, said:
“Overall, Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust provides good care to the population that it serves. The trust can be proud of many of the services that it manages.
“We heard about and saw examples of good and innovative practice throughout the trust. This included the use of personalised activity boxes for patients, strong links with community services to support patients back into employment, virtual dementia tours for families and carers and media apps for young people to ask difficult questions.
“Staff were enabled to take actions to improve services and to make a difference. Leaders promoted an environment where staff felt able to suggest improvements and ways to better care for patients.
“Many of the wards managed by the trust were environments that were recovery focused and supported patients with specific needs. For example, the wards for older people had a garden area fitted with specialist flooring, equipment and dementia friendly plants that weren’t poisonous or sharp to touch. The forensic service included a number spacious flats, each with their own garden terrace. Patients said this supported them to live independently prior to discharge.
“There were some areas where improvements need to be made. In particular we rated the acute wards for adults and those of working age and psychiatric intensive care units, the substance misuse services, the long stay or rehabilitation mental health wards and the community end of life care as Requires Improvement overall.
“The trust has told us they have listened to our inspectors’ findings and we anticipate that the executive team, with the support of their staff, will work to deliver these improvements on behalf of all of their patients. We will return in due course to check on the progress that they have made.”
Full details of the ratings, including a ratings grid, are given in the report published online; read the report.
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The trust can be proud of many of the services that it manages
Dr Paul Lelliott, Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (and lead for mental health)