Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) is leading the way in the transformation of mental health care, empowering patients and their families to have a voice in the future of its services.
More than 250 patients and former patients have been employed to ensure patient experience remains at the heart of the transformation of the mental health, physical health and learning disability services the Trust provides to 3.2 million people across Essex and beyond.
They include new family and carer ambassadors who use their personal experiences of mental health services to support families, and ensure they are fully involved in the care of their loved ones and any concerns are acted on.
These roles join the additional 480 nurses and clinical services staff the Trust welcomed in 2024, as part of a continued focus on building a skilled and stable workforce to provide consistently high quality patient care.
While there is more to do, significant progress has been made since Paul Scott joined the Essex-based mental health and community Trust as Chief Executive in 2020:
· 98.2% of patients and their families tell us they feel safe in our care
· Of the 8,000 people who have sent feedback via iWantGreatCare healthcare review surveys in the last two years, 94% have left positive feedback about their care
More than 330 new posts are also being recruited to as part of the Trust’s transformative Time to Care programme, designed to ensure patients receive personally tailored care to support them with their long-term recovery.
The roles form part of work to broaden the range of skilled staff on EPUT wards, from consultants, nurses and support workers to activity co-ordinators and peer support workers. Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, they ensure that patients receive a rich and varied programme of treatment, activities and care every day – ranging from a counselling session with one of the Trust’s psychologists to a group activity like football or dancing, alongside care from specially trained doctors and nurses.
The transformation of EPUT’s services is also supported by the ambitious development of a unified Electronic Patient Record (EPR) in partnership with Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT), expected to launch in 2026/27. The first of its kind in the NHS, the EPR will enable teams delivering acute, community and mental health services to work together more closely to deliver joined-up patient care.
Paul Scott, EPUT Chief Executive, said: “We care for more than 100,000 patients at any one time and are working continuously to transform our services so that they each receive the care they deserve, the best possible care.
“As we look ahead to 2025, we know there is much more to be done but we have taken great strides on our journey of improvement, and recent feedback from our patients, their carers and loved ones is testament to that.
“Working in partnership with patients and families to co-produce our services is enabling us to learn from their experiences to drive sustained change, ensuring that patient voice runs through the core of our organisation and that we champion the role of families and carers in the care, treatment and recovery of their loved ones.”
