The Isle of Wight NHS Trust Community Mental Health Service have been shortlisted for a Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) Award in the category ‘Psychiatric Team of the Year 2022: Working-age Adults’.
The annual RCPsych awards identify and celebrate outstanding contributions by teams and individuals for their pioneering work towards improving peoples’ mental health.
Pivotal role
This shortlisting recognises the pivotal role that the Community Mental Health Service teams play in improving and innovating psychiatric services for people living on the Isle of Wight.
As part of delivering the No Wrong Door Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Strategy, this service has implemented new performance and quality assurance processes and worked closely with community partners, including GPs, the Island’s Wellbeing Service, and healthcare teams to develop an integrated model of community care.
Improving patient engagement
The team is focused on improving patient engagement, with the recruitment of Peer Support Workers, who all have lived experience of mental health at some point in their lives. Their role is to help support patients in the community by listening to them and encouraging them to talk openly about their mental health.
In addition, collaborative leadership and a supportive environment has enabled a culture where staff wellbeing is regularly reviewed to ensure they can thrive and grow their skills.
These are a few of the steps taken to improve patient experience and quality of care for those people who use our community mental health services. These measures contributed towards an overall rating of Good by the Care Quality Commission last year.
Abel: We are on the right journey
Lucy Abel, Associate Director for Integrated Localities, said,
“We are delighted to have been shortlisted for this prestigious award, which recognises the improvements we have made to date.
“There is still room for more and we are on the right journey, delivering positive impacts to those people using this service in our local communities on the Island.
“It’s a testament to the diligent work by our community mental health teams who work alongside partner organisations, patients their families and carers to new ways of delivering the best possible patient care.”
The winner in this category is set to be announced at the RCPsych Awards ceremony on the 9th November.
News shared by Isle of Wight NHS Trust, in their own words. Ed
