Review of mental health services

Healthwatch Coventry undertook research on inpatient, rehabilitation and day mental health services provided by Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust. The review aimed to assess changes made to services, explore patient experiences of care planning, discharge, activities and safety, and follow up on recommendations from previous Healthwatch work. The research included enter and view visits to inpatient wards, a day service and a rehabilitation unit, and gathered views from 32 service users (25 current service users and 7 recently discharged patients) as well as 14 staff members. 

The review found that patients generally felt safe and valued the dedication of staff, but both staff and service users raised concerns about staffing pressures and low morale. Many patients reported limited involvement in their care plans and were often unclear about what their care plans contained. Experiences of discharge were mixed, with delays frequently caused by difficulties accessing suitable housing and community support. Recently discharged patients also reported inconsistent involvement in discharge planning. 

A major theme was the lack of meaningful activities in inpatient settings. Patients frequently described feeling bored, with limited opportunities available outside weekdays and an overreliance on arts and crafts activities. Healthwatch found that longstanding issues identified in earlier reviews had not been fully addressed, including poor access to outdoor spaces, underuse of gym facilities and insufficient weekend activities. In contrast, rehabilitation services at Hawkesbury Lodge offered a broader range of personalised activities and support aimed at helping residents regain independence. 

Healthwatch concluded that improvements were needed in care planning, discharge processes, rehabilitation pathways and the availability of therapeutic activities. Recommendations included making activities an integral part of care planning, increasing staffing capacity to support a wider range of activities, improving discharge arrangements with external agencies, strengthening patient involvement in decisions about their care, and investing in day services to better meet the needs of people recovering from mental illness.