The Psychiatric Care Clinic

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

We rated caring as Good because:

Patients consistently described staff as kind, respectful, supportive and knowledgeable.

Staff promoted patient choice and involvement in decisions about care and treatment.

Staff demonstrated a strong commitment to delivering compassionate, person-centred care.

Staff reported feeling valued, respected and supported by leaders.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff demonstrated caring, respectful, discreet, and responsive attitudes when discussing patients and their care. They were committed to providing timely support, treatment, and advice that reflected patients' individual needs and circumstances. Staff spoke passionately about delivering care in a compassionate, holistic, and person-centred way.

Records demonstrated that staff supported patients to understand and manage their care, treatment, and condition. Patients were provided with information to help them make informed decisions and take an active role in their treatment.

Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of patients' individual needs and took account of personal, cultural, and social factors when planning and delivering care.

Confidentiality was consistently maintained. Staff followed established policies and procedures to ensure patient information was stored securely. Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to confidentiality and information governance, and these were embedded in day-to-day practice.

Feedback from patients was positive. Patients consistently told us that staff treated them with kindness, compassion, dignity, and respect. They said staff took time to explain assessments, diagnoses, and treatment options, enabling them to make informed decisions about their care.

Patients told us staff were approachable, responded promptly when support was needed, and helped them feel safe, listened to, and supported throughout their treatment.

Evidence indicated that staff treated patients as individuals and ensured their care, support, and treatment reflected their needs, preferences, strengths, abilities, backgrounds, and protected characteristics.

Staff demonstrated an understanding of the diverse needs of the people using the service and adapted their approach to support personalised care and treatment.

The service was located on the first floor of the building and did not have lift access. As a result, the premises were not fully accessible to patients with mobility difficulties. However, staff told us they considered individual needs on a case-by-case basis and would make alternative arrangements, such as offering remote appointments or appointments at an alternative location, to ensure patients could access care and treatment.

The service ensured their website had relevant information for clients to understand the service and what treatments were offered.

Records demonstrated that staff actively involved patients in discussions and decisions about their care and treatment. Patients' views, preferences, and treatment choices were clearly documented within care records.

We saw examples of staff discussing the benefits, risks, and alternatives of different treatment approaches, enabling patients to make informed decisions about their care. Where appropriate, patients were signposted to additional sources of information to further support their understanding and decision-making.

Patients told us they felt listened to and supported by staff. They said they were given sufficient time during consultations to discuss their needs and understand the treatment options available to them.

Patients described the consultant psychiatrists as knowledgeable and approachable. They told us they explained care and treatment in a way they could understand and responded promptly to questions and concerns. This helped patients feel involved in decisions about their care and treatment.

Staff demonstrated an understanding of, and appropriately managed, risks relating to individual patients. Where appropriate, and with the patient's consent, family members and carers were involved in assessments to support a comprehensive understanding of the patient's needs, circumstances, and risks.

The service did not provide acute or crisis mental healthcare. All referrals were carefully triaged to ensure the service could safely meet patients' needs within the scope of its provision.

Where patients were identified as presenting a higher level of risk, or where their needs were not suitable for outpatient treatment, staff appropriately signposted or referred them to more suitable services. This included local NHS crisis teams, inpatient mental health services, emergency departments, and other specialist services relevant to the patient's needs and location.

Records demonstrated that where the service could not meet a patient's needs, staff made timely referrals to appropriate services to help ensure patients received the care and support they required.

Staff consistently reported high levels of job satisfaction and described feeling respected, supported, and valued within the service.

Staff spoke positively about their work and demonstrated pride in both the care they delivered and their role within the organisation. They told us they worked within a supportive culture that placed patients and their families at the centre of care and treatment.

Staff described a strong commitment to providing person-centred, holistic care and said they felt able to deliver high-quality support within a safe and supportive working environment.

Staff described positive working relationships and a shared focus on meeting the individual needs of patients and achieving good outcomes.