New mental health evaluation by patients

A new project has been launched in Northumberland to allow mental health patients to evaluate the care they have received.

Experiences of the care that people found both in hospital and in the community are being surveyed by a team of volunteers who have themselves received mental health care, reports the News Guardian.

The study by the Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Trust includes a specially developed questionnaire. Patient views of services, effectiveness, staff relationships, future aspirations and impact on their lives are being examined as part of the study.

Already the project has been commended and won the mental health category of the Involvement to Impact Awards from the NHS Centre for Involvement.

Angela Glascott, development and user involvement officer, told the newspaper: "In our experience, some mental health care is not always focused on the reality of how patients feel so we saw the potential to start measuring the genuine human experiences that patients have."

The NHS Centre for Involvement works with staff and organisations to help patients and make changes based on information gathered from them.


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