Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive - This means we looked for evidence that the service and its staff met people’s needs through effective planning and delivery. This was the first assessment for the service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people’s needs were met through effective planning and delivery.

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.

Description: We make sure people are at the centre of their care and treatment choices, and we decide, in partnership with them, how to respond to any relevant changes in their needs.

We scored the service as 2. The evidence showed some shortfalls.

Patients were not always central to care planning. Care plans did not always reflect the patient’s individual needs, preferences, strengths, and goals. We found care plans were not always personalised, holistic and recovery focused.

Staff did not always assess and manage known risks promptly. For example, although a patient’s ongoing illicit substance use was identified and recorded during assessment, there was no corresponding safety or care plan to demonstrate how the risks to parenting capacity or infant safety had been assessed or mitigated.

However, we also found evidence of good practice that staff supported patients and provided meaningful person-centred care. For example, when a patient found treatment review meetings overwhelming due to the number of professionals present, most of the multidisciplinary team left the room following their input to enable the patient to participate fully and without anxiety. This demonstrated a flexible, inclusive approach that supported meaningful involvement in decisions about their care.

Staff ensured patients were supported to understand their diagnosis, treatment options, and any associated risks, enabling them to make informed decisions about their care and recovery.

Staff promoted personal development, independence, and community engagement through vocational, educational, employment, physical activity, and peer support opportunities. This helped patients build skills, confidence, resilience, and progress towards recovery goals which supported informed choice, autonomy, and independence.

Information was provided in accessible formats tailored to individual needs, including easy-read materials and access to independent advocacy support.

Description: We understand the diverse health and care needs of people and our local communities, so care is joined-up, flexible and supports choice and continuity.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard.

Staff understood patients’ diverse health, social, and wellbeing needs and adapted care that responded to changing circumstances.

Collaborative working was evident across multidisciplinary teams and with external partners, including community mental health teams, paediatric services, health visitors, social workers, and the East Midlands provider collaborative, ensuring coordinated care that met patients’ needs.

We reviewed discharge documentation, which included comprehensive plans for ongoing care and support. Patients received transition packages when transferring between or leaving services, alongside personalised guidance on recognising early warning signs of relapse and potential triggers.

Staff worked proactively to ensure smooth, well-planned discharges. External professionals and partner agencies were involved in care reviews and discharge planning, supporting coordinated transitions, continuity of care, and positive patient outcomes.

Description: We provide appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that we tailor to individual needs.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard.

Patients received timely, accessible, and person-centred information. Staff adapted communication to meet individual needs, including translated materials, interpreters, and alternative formats, and used translation applications to support immediate communication when formal interpreter services were not immediately available.

One patient told us, “Me and my family received all the information we needed, and in a way we all understood. We really can’t thank them enough for everything that they’ve done for us.”

Patients received information about the service, including patient information booklets. Clear pathways with internal and external services supported continuity of care and smooth transitions between settings. For example, if a patient being supported by the community perinatal team required admission to perinatal inpatient services.

Service leaders demonstrated a commitment to accessible communication through digital resources. The organisations website included assistive technology tools that allowed users to adjust font size, change colour settings, and translate content into different languages, improving accessibility for a diverse range of users.

Robust policies and procedures ensured personal information was handled securely and confidentially. Staff sought, recorded, and regularly reviewed patients’ information-sharing and communication preferences, ensuring these were respected and managed in line with GDPR and the Accessible Information Standard.

Description: We make it easy for people to share feedback and ideas or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. We involve them in decisions about their care and tell them what’s changed as a result.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard.

Patients were confident to raise concerns and were supported by staff to share feedback about their experiences. Staff encouraged patients and their relatives to raise concerns, provide feedback, and contribute to service improvements.

Clear information was available on how to make a complaint and access support services, including independent advocacy services, interpreter services, and external organisations such as the patient advice and liaison service (PALS).

One patient told us, “I did raise concerns when I first started using services. The issue was personal to me, but I realised other patients may have experienced similar. Staff supported me to speak up, and things improved very quickly. They listened and acted, which meant a lot to me at the time, and still does.”

An expert by experience meeting focused on co-producing a family and carers drop-in session based on feedback and preferred delivery methods.

Community meetings provided patients with regular opportunities to share their views, raise concerns, suggest improvements, and influence practice throughout the service. Patient feedback was actively encouraged and used to inform service improvements and enhance patient experience.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the complaints process and applied it consistently. Concerns and complaints were acknowledged, investigated appropriately, and outcomes were shared with the wider team to promote learning and service improvement. Lessons learned were embedded into practice, which supported a culture of continuous improvement and responsiveness.

Service leaders and staff demonstrated a commitment to acting on feedback. By involving patients, families, and carers in service development and communicating actions taken in response to concerns, they promoted openness, trust, transparency, and inclusive care.

There had been no complaints raised across the service for the 6 months prior to our visit.

Description: We make sure that everyone can access the care, support and treatment they need when they need it.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard.

Staff made reasonable adjustments to meet individual needs and ensured interventions were delivered in a way that patients could understand. The service provided an accessible environment, with premises designed to support equitable access for all patients, visitors and stakeholders.

Staff worked collaboratively with external partners, including midwives, social workers, and health visitors, to promote continuity of care and deliver person-centred support. They also facilitated access to post-discharge services, including community mental health and crisis teams, ensuring care was tailored to individual needs.

Medical cover was available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with doctors able to respond promptly to emergencies and facilitate timely transfer to the local acute hospital when required. Patients accessing community support were provided with emergency contact details and information on out-of-hours services and support.

Description: We actively seek out and listen to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes. We tailor the care, support and treatment in response to this.

We scored the service as 4. The evidence showed an outstanding standard.

Staff completed equality, diversity and inclusion training and had access to specialist support. Robust policies and procedures promoted fairness, accessibility and inclusion, helped to reduce disadvantage and ensured care met the needs of people most at risk of poorer outcomes.

Staff actively sought and used feedback from patients at greater risk of experiencing inequalities or poorer outcomes to improve person-centred care and access to services. Patients were supported to express their views and contribute to decisions about their care, with communication and autism passports helping staff meet individual communication needs and preferences.

Leaders monitored equality data across protected characteristics to identify and address disparities in access, care and outcomes. Staff demonstrated awareness of communication needs, cultural backgrounds, spiritual beliefs and personal preferences, ensuring care was tailored to the diverse needs of patients and the local communities they served, including those who were traditionally harder to reach.

Leaders and staff across the service led a quality improvement project to raise awareness of perinatal mental health, improve access to services, reduce health inequalities, and tackle stigma. A multidisciplinary group used health equity assessments and local and national data to identify priority groups, including women from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds, asylum seekers and refugees, young mothers, and members of the Deaf community.

Staff worked with community-based family hubs, voluntary organisations, and a local Pakistani community centre to improve engagement and access to support. Community outreach workers and cultural diversity leads strengthened community links and delivered targeted awareness and training initiatives.

The project included a family wellbeing event attended by around 600 people to raise awareness of perinatal mental health and reduce stigma. A range of health, social care, and community organisations provided information and support. Subsequent monitoring showed increased service access among women from ethnic minority backgrounds. Community outreach roles were retained to sustain progress and address ongoing health inequalities.

Staff upheld equality and human rights principles, making reasonable adjustments to meet patients’ social, cultural, and religious needs, including communication support and access to cultural or religious leaders. The service also engaged with the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) to promote equity, inclusion, and anti-racist practice.

Description: We support people to plan for important life changes, so they can have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard.

Staff supported patients and, where appropriate, their families to plan for the future and make informed decisions about care, treatment, and ongoing support. Families were involved in discussions and decision-making in line with patients’ wishes and preferences.

Staff worked collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams and with external agencies to coordinate care for patients with complex needs, promoting continuity, effective communication, and person-centred care that supported recovery, long-term wellbeing and supported people to realise their future aspirations.

One patient told us, “I’m being discharged soon, and that’s made me feel anxious. I just have to believe in myself as much as my nurse does and I know I’ll be okay. They’ve been great and made sure everything we need is in place. I really can’t thank them enough.”

Where appropriate, staff supported advance care planning, including DNACPR and ReSPECT documentation.