Local watchdog organisations respond to CQC report on mental health services across Sussex

Local Healthwatch in East & West Sussex and Brighton & Hove have all read and noted the recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection report regarding Sussex Partnership NHS Trust. Alongside others, we attended a quality summit hosted by the Trust where it set out its response to the ‘requires improvement’ result. This was helpful but we remain vigilant about some of the findings particularly those considered urgent.

The report identifies specific areas where improvements are needed and we will help to ensure these are delivered. We also want to support patients and their families to have a direct say in these improvements by enabling them to get involved in decision making.

As part of that, it is important that we monitor change and talk to people directly, so we urge patients, users of services, carers and families to continue to give their feedback either directly to the Trust, or to the Healthwatch for their area.

Each Healthwatch has a close working relationship with the trust and we regularly meet with senior staff, feeding back what local people tell us, and discussing how we could better work together to improve patient and user experiences. We acknowledge recent changes at executive level and welcome the open and honest approach to involving stakeholders to help bring about the changes required.

Working across Sussex all Healthwatch organisations will be involved in making sure the Trust puts together action plans that are achievable and implemented. We will do this by ensuring patient experience and voice is at the heart of the process.

We welcome areas of the report and services which are highlighted as providing good and outstanding care but agree with the need for a more consistent approach to delivering high quality care for patients; their carer’s and families across all services.

Healthwatch East Sussex

Healthwatch Brighton & Hove

Healthwatch West Sussex