Mental Health Voice: West Kent

Healthwatch Kent and Medway Voice reviewed 60 pieces of feedback about mental health services in West Kent between January and March 2026. Overall, people shared positive experiences of crisis care and wellbeing services, particularly where support was timely, compassionate and helped them build confidence, social connections and coping skills. 

A key finding was that medication emerged as a significant concern during the quarter. People reported difficulties managing side effects, challenges finding the right medication, and concerns that changes in medication were not always well supported. Some felt that medication was offered too readily without enough discussion of alternative forms of support, while others described frustration at being passed between services without a consistent treatment approach. 

Feedback also highlighted concerns about collaboration between services, particularly between GPs and mental health teams. Some people reported delays obtaining medication following a mental health crisis, while others felt their physical symptoms were dismissed or attributed solely to mental health issues. Concerns were also raised about limited access to one-to-one support and dissatisfaction with group-based interventions when these did not match individuals’ preferences or needs. 

Healthwatch concluded that organisations should explore how support around mental health medication can be improved, including better management of side effects, stronger collaboration between services and more personalised approaches to treatment. While waiting times featured less prominently than in previous periods, feedback suggested there is still a need for more consistent and coordinated support throughout a person’s mental health journey.