Community based mental health services in Norfolk and Waveney
Download (PDF 216.14 KB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Norfolk was commissioned by Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) to conduct an independent person-centred evaluation of how well the Community Transformation Steering Group delivered their plan to transform community based mental health services in Norfolk and Waveney. This report focuses on year one of a three year evaluation. They gathered feedback from the public, mental health work force, primary care workforce and local voluntary sector organisations via surveys and interviews. They spoke to 8 people.
Approximately one fifth of survey respondents appear to have the following outcomes:
- They have a care plan in place
- They feel very involved in their care
- They feel that their family are appropriately involved in their care.
The results of the survey and follow-up interviews showed that adults severely affected by mental health issues have not seen changes to their support and that the outcomes that they would like to see around involvement, trust, continuity, up to date care plans, involvement with family / carers and person-centred care are not yet being met.
The carers survey and interviews also showed that carers have not seen changes to the support for adults severely affected by mental health issues. A lack of communication with carers makes it difficult for carers to provide appropriate support and adds to the pressure that they are under. Carers also Year One Healthwatch Norfolk Community Transformation Steering Group Evaluation 15 reported that there is little support available to them, which has an impact on their own mental health.
These findings indicate that the Community Transformation Steering Group have engaged well with Experts by Experience, which has been welcomed as a positive change. They have also provided regular updates to the VCSE sector through updates to the Mental Health Providers Forum, but there is little evidence of coproduction of the transformation plans and the role this sector could play, and the strength of the VCSE sector offer is not fully recognised or understood.
The report contains nine recommendations to improve the services.