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Patients given peace of mind as Manchester’s mental health services ranked one of best in UK

Manchester’s mental health services have come up trumps after being ranked one of the best in the country by inpatients.

Results released by the Care Quality Commission reveal that the Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust is one the country’s top performers in five key areas of patient care. 

The Trust also received the highest marks in the country for how well staff listen to patient’s personal circumstances.

Patrick Cahoon, Head of Patient Experience at the Trust said: “The scores back up what our service users already tell us – that staff members really listen to patients’ needs and wishes.

“This is a fantastic testimony to our staff, who despite the current challenges, continue to deliver really high standards of compassionate patient care.”

Manchester received the joint-highest scores in the country for staff’s ability to listen to patient’s personal circumstances and scored highly on their ability to give patients enough time to discuss their needs. 

Excellent results were also given to the Trust across all wards in all of the four categories looking at cleanliness, food, privacy and appearance and maintenance.

The CQC’s Community Mental Health Services National Patient Survey Report asks about the experiences of people who receive care and treatment from community mental health teams. 

Questions gauge the satisfaction of those receiving care out in the community in a number of areas, such as frequency of care reviews and medication.

Anita Rolfe Chief Nurse and Director of Quality Assurance for the Trust said: “As a Trust we hold our services to account for delivering on very high standards in each of these areas.

“Earlier in the year, our patient assessors inspected all the inpatient areas; action plans were produced and progress has been made across the board.”

The Trust scored its highest average in the cleanliness category, achieving 99.51%.

Big improvements were made in their approach to the privacy, dignity and wellbeing of patients as their score and jumped from 84.2% last year to 90.6% this year. 

Ms Rolfe added: “Our inpatient staff have worked really hard to achieve these great results.

“The Trust’s scores for privacy, dignity and wellbeing and condition and appearance are really encouraging and we have already identified some areas for improvement.

“The results back up our current regime of inspections, dignity walkabouts and feedback from our patients and carers.”

Image courtesy of Sam Caplat, with thanks

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