Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation 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

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the service involved patients and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained Good. This meant patients were respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care.

Staff demonstrated consistent commitment to privacy, dignity, and person-centred care, responding sensitively to patients’ individual needs. They empowered patients to understand, manage, and make informed choices about their care and treatment, actively involving them in care planning, assessment of risk, and decisions wherever possible. Staff also anticipated patient needs and sought feedback to improve care quality and outcomes.

Families and carers were fully engaged, informed, and supported, with staff promoting a culture of partnership, respect, and collaboration. The service monitored and audited patient and carer involvement, communication, and satisfaction, which ensured care met people’s expectations. Patient and carer feedback demonstrated that staff provided care that was not only kind and empathetic but also measurable, responsive, and consistent in impact, reinforcing a positive culture throughout the service.

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.

Patients felt involved in their care and treatment planning. Staff supported patients when in distress, and they responded promptly, and with kindness. Staff explained and involved patients in changes to care and treatment plans. Patients reported staff saw them as individuals, with their own personal preferences and wishes. Staff built relationships with patients which were based on openness, honesty and trust. One patient told us, “The staff are really good. They talk to me and spend time with me in the living room. It is nice to have a young staff team so I can talk about current music charts and movies.” The service audited patient involvement, which ensured engagement remained meaningful, effective, and met individual patient’s needs.

We observed interactions between staff and patients throughout our assessment and spoke to 9 staff members. Staff demonstrated a person-centred culture, and provided kind, compassionate and dignified care. Patients received help, emotional support, and advice when they needed it. Staff maintained a consistently caring approach and always acted with professionalism and empathy, reflecting a positive and caring culture.

Patients’ information was treated confidentially and shared only when needed, and with their consent. Staff communicated in ways patients understood, adapting their approach to meet individual needs. Where appropriate families were involved in care planning and decision-making, reflecting the service’s commitment to person-centred care. Staff raised concerns about disrespectful, discriminatory, or abusive behaviour without fear of reprisal, and felt supported to uphold dignity, respect, and compassion in all aspects of their work.

Observations, and patient and staff feedback provided strong evidence of a culture in which kindness, compassion, and dignity were embedded across the service. Staff were motivated, empathetic, and proactive in their care and approach, which fostered trusting relationships and consistently met expectations. The service actively monitored and audited practice at all levels, to ensure the sustained delivery of effective person-centred care.

Patients were encouraged, and supported to be actively involved in their care, and treatment, with information delivered in ways they could understand and was regularly reviewed with them. Staff supported patients to make choices and decisions about their care, empowering them to participate as fully as possible. One patient told us, “My care is specifically for me. The staff know my medication, what I like to eat and what I like to do.”

Care and treatment plans demonstrated personalised goals, independence and recovery focused care planning. Patients were treated as individuals, with care tailored to meet their personal needs, and preferences. Staff were responsive when anticipating patients’ needs and amending care to ensure every person was supported to achieve the best possible outcomes.

The service promoted Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) among staff and patients. Equality, diversity and inclusion mandatory training was completed in staff’s organisational induction and repeated throughout their employment. Training and awareness fostered an inclusive and supportive culture. Equality, diversity and inclusion principles were embedded and enhanced patient’s experience, and promoted dignity, respect, and understanding across the service.

A multi-faith centre was available, and staff regarded the religious and cultural needs of patients as a priority. Staff were aware of the patients’ religious or cultural needs prior to admission, which ensured all needs were met. The service also welcomed religious and cultural leaders to attend and spend time with patients if this was requested.

Information about treatment, rights, and complaints was provided in accessible, personalised formats, including easy-read materials in different languages when required. The service encouraged the involvement of advocates, and ensured staff and patients had timely access to all required communication resources as and when required.

Patients felt confident, informed, and empowered to make decisions, and choices about their care. Staff supported them to make their own decisions about their care, and treatment, and amended approaches to reflect individual needs and preferences. Patients’ rights were explained effectively, using a range of communication methods, ensuring that patients understood, made informed decisions, and were fully involved.

Staff encouraged and supported involvement, independence, choice, and control wherever possible. Patients were involved in all aspects of their care, and staff explained decisions made in their best interests clearly. Staff promoted skill-building and self-management, in preparation for discharge. Care plans evidenced patient involvement in decision-making and demonstrated clear goals and independence-focused care planning.

Staff supported patients to maintain important relationships and community connections. Family visits were supported, and staff were flexible to meet individual need. The service promoted maintaining, or re-establishing community links and prepared patients for safe and independent engagement with family and local services. One patient told us, “Staff help me to stay in touch with my family and friends and ask when I plan to see them next. I am able to use the staff phone to ring my family when my mobile phone is not working.”

Staff promoted independence and recovery, providing opportunities for patients to take part in activities that built skills, confidence, and resilience. Activities were focused on skill development, vocational training, and community engagement, supporting autonomy and long-term recovery, such as external groups located within the patient’s local community. Patients could access community-based activities that supported autonomy, health, and wellbeing. Staff empowered patients to develop skills and confidence.

Staff supported people’s physical health alongside their mental health. When needs were identified and assessed, the service provided specialist adaptive equipment such as mobility aids to people who needed them. Accessible bathrooms were available throughout the service to support people’s independence. By providing personalised support, practical tools, and a consistent caring and empowering culture, staff enabled patients to have genuine involvement and maximise their independence, supporting rehabilitation in readiness for community living.

Staff recognised and responded promptly to changes in patients’ needs. patients had risk assessments which were updated regularly, and ensured staff understood what support may be needed. Staff discussed assessments during team, and multi-disciplinary meetings. This ensured that everyone was aware of any changes or potential risks and could respond quickly.

Staff were skilled at noticing or anticipating when patients’ risks or behaviours began to change and acted promptly. One patient told us “I am new here; I was very impressed with the staff when they recognised that I was having a medical issue at night. They did the right thing and helped me the following morning too. They are well trained compared to other places I have been.”

Staff were trained in de-escalation techniques, calm, supportive approaches that reduced stress, anxiety, and distress. Staff supported patients to manage challenges independently and encouraged them to use coping skills and self-regulation. The service worked hard to reduce restrictive practices, giving patients more independence, more opportunities for community leave, and greater involvement in everyday life.

Leave and activities were actively used to promote skill-building and reintegration into the community. This approach supported patients to achieve meaningful personal goals. Staff encouraged self-management of physical health where appropriate, supporting long-term independence alongside mental health recovery. Through consistent support and responsive planning, patients made consistent progress, reduced their risks, and were effectively prepared for increased community engagement and potential discharge.

Staff reported feeling respected, valued, and supported in their roles. They described leaders as present, available and approachable, with an open-door policy. Staff said they felt safe raising concerns and confident that these would be listened to without fear of reproach. Staff could access regular breaks, and rest periods.

The service provided comprehensive staff wellbeing resources and offered a wide range of benefits. These included access to a 24/7 employee assistance programme, counselling and bereavement support, a dedicated organisational wellbeing team, occupational health, freedom to speak up service (FTSU) and human resource team (HR). The service also provided paid monthly wellbeing time. The psychology team supported staff with reflective practice sessions and debriefs and were also available on an ad-hoc basis when required.

Managers supported staff to develop their skills and careers, with service managers holding regular staff engagement sessions. Appraisals and supervisions included discussions about career progression, and staff had opportunities to take on new responsibilities, and apply for training. Staff received training focused on recovery orientated practice, community reintegration, and promoted autonomy.

The service demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting and enabling their workforce. By looking after staff health and wellbeing, making every effort in maintaining safe staffing levels, and recognising and developing staff, the service enabled them to confidently deliver effective person-centred care.