MPFT staff praised for putting people at the heart of what they do

Staff at Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust have been praised by patients and their families for improving their care experience.

Recognising how important families and carers can be in a patient’s recovery, the team on Norbury House Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at St George’s Hospital in Stafford, which provides specialised support and treatment for people with severe mental health needs, introduced a new initiative to improve and expand communication with patient’s families.

In addition to the standard carers pack, with patient consent, a personalised letter is sent to families which includes information and images of the ward, details of the care team, the patient’s care plan, details on how to raise a concern and a carers feedback form. A team member also calls the family on the same day each week to update on the patient’s progress.

Craig Palmer, Charge Nurse and Safeguarding and Quality Lead for Norbury House explained: “The initiative was introduced after admission of a patient who experienced a relapse in their mental health having been well for over 40 years. Naturally, his family were very worried about him and having had no contact with modern mental health services, there was concern regarding the impact being in hospital could have on him. As a team, we recognise that carers and families can provide vital support to our patients, and so we decided to do everything we could to reassure this family, and future families, by creating an expanded communication package.”

Having received communication from the ward a family member said they were ‘instantly reassured’ and felt their loved one was in the best possible place to receive the help they needed. They added: “Everything was planned, and I was advised at every step and on every occasion a decision was made, it was wonderful and such a relief… they made a really stressful time so much better and whilst we still have a long journey ahead of us, they helped immensely. We are so grateful.” The family praised ward staff for the high level of compassion and care shown to both them and the patient throughout their stay at Norbury House.

Expanded communication with families and carers is now successfully embedded within the service and feedback continues to show how appreciated it is. Another family commented: “I would just like to thank you for the information and to let you know that it means so much. I have never received a call to reassure me that L is going to be well cared for or an email with information about the ward... I am very grateful for this… I can't express enough how lovely it is to feel that I am being updated as much as possible.”

The PICU and the Trust’s adult acute mental health wards have been rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an inspection in January. The CQC’s report, issued on 23 April also rates the service as ‘Good’ in all five of its domains - safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.