Our priorities and values

Our ‘Better Lives, Together’ strategy for 2026-2031 has been developed with the feedback of people who use our services, their family and carers, alongside input from our colleagues and partners.

For the people who use our services, there were two key areas that were important to you and we’ve reflected these in our five-year plans.

Providing safe, effective, compassionate care

For the people who experience our services, this meant consistently getting timely support when you need it, from staff who understand your needs, and being listened to and respected.

• We want this too, and our plans set out how we will aim to consistently do this, working with you and our partners to provide support as soon as you need it, ideally in the community.

Using our resources effectively to deliver the greatest benefit for our communities

For the people who use our services, this means providing better and more accessible places where you get support; getting clearer information about services; better appointment reminders; and available support.

• We’re focusing on a number of areas to achieve this, including improving the spaces where we deliver services, often located with other health and care services if appropriate; ensuring the right staff are in the right place to provide support; providing digital appointment reminders for those who want it – all aiming to deliver the greatest benefit for the people we serve.

A key part of this is continuing to listen to the people who experience our services, to learn and adapt, and improve. This will shape our delivery planning for the first full year starting April 2027.

Our values

Our Trust values of ‘we care, we listen and deliver’ run through everything that we do.  They guide how we work together and how we develop and deliver our services.

We care – we act with respect and empathy, and always value difference.

We listen – we understand people’s views and respond to their individual needs.

We deliver – we develop and provide excellent services and support our partners to do the same.

Our plans for 2026-2031

• A two-page summary document.
• The full strategy.
• The supporting delivery framework for our colleagues.

In the coming weeks, we will be publishing an easy-read version also.

Thank you again to all those who provided their valuable feedback and insight and helped shape our future plans.

If you require any of the above documents in an alternative format or language, please email communications@bdct.nhs.uk.