Experiences of Adult Mental Health Care Transformation
South West London & St George's NHS Mental Health Trust (SWLSTG) are changing how they deliver adult mental health care. The aim of the transformation is to improve how care is delivered in the borough. As a part of this transformation, SWLSTG has added new roles and interventions, created a social support model, and simplified the referrals process.
SWLSTG asked Healthwatch Wandsworth to conduct three surveys six months apart focused on how patients are experiencing the changes throughout the process. This will contribute to their evaluation of the transformation.
What we did
317 recent service users were randomly selected by SWLSTG. We sent out the survey using emails, text messages and phone calls, and 40 people completed the survey. This survey provided a baseline measure of the changes.
Findings
Quantitative feedback about the services were relatively balanced without any areas of very strong or weak performance. The strongest theme was, ‘My family and carer(s) have been involved in my care’ with 65% agreement; however, this statement only applied to 46% of the respondents. The theme with the weakest feedback was, ‘I have been satisfied with the time taken to access support’ at 37% agreement.
People who completed the survey shared positive experiences with certain aspects of the service offer, including:
• Being included in discussions about medications.
• Finding appointment times convenient.
• Feeling listened to.
• Being treated with empathy and kindness.
• Knowing where to access information.
• The method of contact and location of treatment.
Service users also noted parts of the service they felt could be improved, including:
• Waiting times.
• Receiving the care they felt they needed.
• Seeing the same health care professional across visits, otherwise known as continuity of care.
• Having a choice in treatment.
The service users commended the work of staff throughout the survey and also shared key ideas for improvement in this area.
What next
The findings from the baseline report demonstrate the need for the transformation plan and highlight key areas to focus on. We'll conduct this survey again in 6 months and 12 months to track the impact of the transformation and inform future changes.
