The work done by Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust to help improve mental health services for children and young people in Lancashire was recently praised by a national NHS body.
Shaun Duggan, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Network at NHS Confederation, recently visited Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust to learn first-hand of some of the work undertaken at the Trust. Shaun took the opportunity to visit The Cove, our specialist inpatient unit for young people between the ages of 13 and 18 who are experiencing a variety of mental health problems.
Russell Patton, Executive Director of Operations at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“Shaun was particularly keen to visit The Cove to get a greater understanding of the specialist nature of the services that we provide. We also discussed at length the opportunities that will be forthcoming due to our involvement in the New Care Models initiative. The visit was positive as it enabled Shaun to meet key members of staff and discuss the progress made over the past 18 months.
“During his visit, Shaun also discussed the improvement journey that The Cove has undergone. The Cove was originally rated ‘requires improvement’ in all domains in 2018 and has now achieved ‘Good’ across the Board with some outstanding areas of practice noted in 2019 visit.”
Shaun also spoke to staff and was impressed by their passion and enthusiasm for the care of children and young people. He was also impressed by the staffing recruitment and retention, and commented on the positive feel of the unit and the care and consideration given to the needs of young people.
During his visit, Shaun met the Trust’s Medical Director Dr Richard Morgan, Director of Operations Russell Patton, Clinical Director of the Children and Young People’s Network Dr Elizabeth Crabtree, and matrons at The Cove Michael Huitson and Alec Stewart.