Let's talk about improving mental health care in Suffolk

Healthwatch Suffolk undertook research on people’s experiences of services provided by the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. They collected 125 comments from service users, carers and professionals through a short engagement campaign ahead of a Care Quality Commission inspection of the Trust. 

While many people praised individual staff, community teams and the Recovery College, which was repeatedly described as life-changing and instrumental in supporting recovery, the majority of feedback was negative. Positive comments highlighted caring staff, effective talking therapies, peer support and improvements in wellbeing. However, many people reported significant difficulties accessing services, long waiting times for assessments and treatment, limited availability of mental health professionals and gaps in support for carers, children and young people, and people in crisis. 

Communication emerged as a major concern. People described delays in returning calls, poor communication between teams, lack of continuity of care, repeated changes in clinicians and feeling that their concerns were not listened to or acted upon. Many service users and carers reported being passed between teams, waiting months for support and struggling to obtain information about treatment or care plans. Concerns were also raised about staffing shortages, pressure on services, lack of psychiatric and community nursing capacity, and difficulties accessing support during mental health crises. 

Healthwatch Suffolk concluded that many of the problems reflected demand exceeding available resources, leaving staff overstretched and contributing to delays, poor continuity and communication failures. The report highlighted a need for improved communication within the Trust and with patients and carers, better coordination between services, greater continuity of care and additional resources to meet increasing demand for mental health support.