A national survey has revealed that local people across Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven are receiving quality community mental health care from Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust.

The results of an annual survey carried out by the independent regulator, the Care Quality Commission, reveal the Trust is a provider classed as better than the national average for a number of questions within the survey.  296 local people who used the Trust’s community mental health services gave feedback on what they thought of their care and treatment.

The survey asked people aged 18 and above questions about care and treatment, care during COVID, health and social care workers, how care was planned and reviewed, crisis care, medicines, NHS therapies, feedback, support and wellbeing and their overall evaluations of their care.

The Trust is rated as better than most of the 54 organisations surveyed in England in three areas, including crisis care – and getting the help needed when contacting the crisis team.  A number of people who responded said that they felt their care plans took into account other areas of their life; that they had been given help or advice with finding support for financial advice; felt treated with respect and dignity; felt decisions were made together with the person they saw during discussions about their care.  The Trust was also rated highly for staff involving people in deciding what NHS talking therapies to use.

Isla Skinner, Head of Patient and Carer Experience and Involvement, commented: “It’s great to see such positive feedback on a number of areas – the survey gives us useful insights which we will add to other feedback, so we are responding to what people tell us about their experience.   The Trust involvement strategy, which is called ‘Your Voice Matters’ demonstrates our belief that it is vital to continue to bring people with direct and recent experience of these services together with staff to combine their expertise as we decide on the priority areas to work on. A new forum called Activate, led by and for people who use our community health services, to improve what we know about people’s experience and support improvement and innovation in them, has recently been set up. Anyone interested in knowing how they can use their lived experience to improve these services or any other area we provide care in – adult physical health in the community, mental health, learning disability or children’s services – can contact us on involve@bdct.nhs.uk ’

The results of the survey can be found here.