Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

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

The service consistently treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion, while respecting their privacy and dignity. Staff delivered personalised care that reflected people’s strengths, preferences, aspirations, cultures and protected characteristics, and promoted independence by ensuring people understood their rights and had choice and control over their care and wellbeing. Staff listened to people’s views and responded promptly to their needs, acting to minimise any discomfort or distress. The service also valued staff wellbeing and created an environment that enabled them to provide high‑quality, person‑centred care.

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.

The service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

We spoke with 5 children and young people who told us staff treated them well, and staff were kind caring, and respectful. Throughout the assessment, staff exhibited high levels of commitment and care which was evident in their interactions with children, young people and families.

We observed and heard many positive interactions between children, young people and staff. Staff understood and respected the individual needs of children and young people. Staff gave children and young people help, emotional support and advice when they needed it. We saw examples of staff actively listening and providing verbal reassurance.

We observed an example of effective and creative engagement during a group session for a young person participating in DBT‑informed modified stabilisation work. The session was conducted across 2 occasions to support the young person’s transition to adult mental health services. Staff reviewed homework from the previous session and assessed the young person’s mental health, mood and functioning using agreed grading scales. Throughout the session, staff demonstrated care, compassion and sensitivity, responding attentively to the young person’s individual needs and creating a safe and supportive therapeutic environment.

Staff supported children and young people to understand and manage their own care treatment or condition. Staff directed children and young people to other services and supported them to access those services if they needed help.

Staff understood and respected the individual needs of each child or young person. Staff felt that they could raise concerns about disrespectful, discriminatory or abusive behaviour or attitudes towards children and young people.

Staff maintained the confidentiality of information about patients.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Staff worked with patients in a way that was engaging to the patient and relevant to their needs and interests. For example, one young person enjoyed playing chess. Staff played chess with this patient as a way of building trust and rapport. During these games, staff were able to communicate and engage with the patient in a meaningful way.

With another patient, staff used playful, foam-sword fighting games to engage with the child. These games were linked to the child’s keen interest in a film about pirates. This helped the child feel relaxed, safe and engaged. It also enabled staff to monitor the child’s eye movement as part thier eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy.

The service made reasonable adjustments for disabled people. Most premises were accessible to individuals with disabilities, and consultation rooms were wheelchair accessible. However, the children and adolescent mental health services at Loughborough Hospital were not wheelchair accessible. As a result, people who required accessible bathroom facilities were supported by staff to access toilets located on the same floor as the department.

Managers ensured that staff and patients had easy access to interpreters and signers. A working group had been set up comprising of staff who were fluent in some of the most spoken languages in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Staff were seeking to improve the consistency of assessments using electronic systems that incorporated artificial intelligence.

Staff made information leaflets available in languages spoken by children and young people. At the waiting area for the Westcotes site, we saw that information on treatments, local services and patients’ rights were available in over 10 languages. Staff helped to ensure children and young people could access information in a format and language that met their individual communication needs.

Staff ensured that children and young people had access to appropriate spiritual support. Youth workers told us they were establishing links with faith leaders and community representatives, enabling them to learn more about local resources and build trusting relationships. They signposted young people to appropriate spiritual and community‑based support to help them remain connected to their wider communities.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

The service supported children and young people to exercise choice and control over their care wherever possible. Staff understood the importance of promoting independence in line with age, capacity and individual need, while balancing safety and safeguarding responsibilities. Care planning was personalised, recovery‑focused and reflected what mattered to children and young people, including their goals and aspirations.

Staff actively encouraged children and young people to be involved in decisions about their care. They used age-appropriate language, visual tools and clear explanations to help children and young people understand their options and to support informed decision‑making.

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff identified and responded to changing risks to or posed by children and young people. Staff were skilled at recognising emotional distress and adapting their approach in the moment to help minimise anxiety, discomfort or escalation.

Staff identified and responded to changing risks to, or posed by, children and young people. We saw care plans reviewed regularly as the risks presented by children and young people changed.

Staff used de-escalation techniques to reduce the need for interventions when a young person behaviours became heightened. We observed a young person in the waiting area become distressed and reluctant to attend their appointment due to frustration. Staff responded quickly, calmly and supportively. They agreed a flexible plan to review the young person’s notes. They sought the young person’s consent to contact their mother to discuss the situation and a further appointment arranged if needed.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff felt respected, supported and valued. We spoke with 29 staff. Many staff were complimentary about the positive support they received from their line managers and the multidisciplinary team. Some staff also highlighted the valuable informal support provided by psychologist. Staff appraisals included conversations about career development and how it could be supported.

Staff had access to support for their own physical and emotional health needs through an occupational health service. The trust offered a wide range of health and wellbeing resources online for staff. Staff could request Team Time Out to allow staff to take a break and reconnect and focus on health and wellbeing. There were upcoming wellbeing events for all staff. These included a spiritual drop-in, mental health advocacy courses, health and wellbeing road shows and menopause events. Staff had access to confidential counselling and support.

Staff sickness and absence levels across the service were in line with the provider’s overall average. However, absence rates at The Valentines Centre were notably higher at 7%, above the trust’s target of 5%. Senior leaders were aware of this and had implemented actions to address the issue, including providing additional staffing support.

The provider recognised staff success within the service for example, through staff awards. Staff could nominate other teams and colleagues for awards, the CAMHS outpatients and Access team had won the August 2025 valued star ward. The team had shown their compassion through daily check-ins and shared food event to support wellbeing. They demonstrated respect by actively avoiding gossip and communicated openly. Their integrity was proven by collectively taking responsibility when workloads surged, ensuring no one was left struggling.