Following positive feedback in the 'Friends and Family test' - a short questionnaire which gathers patients' views on the overall quality of care they’ve received and how likely they are to recommend the services to others - DorsetHealthcare topped national figures.

The findings have been published in the Care Quality Commission's Community Mental Health Survey 2017, and are based on feedback from 12,139 discharged patients from 56 health care providers who received care between September and November last year – including 229 from Dorset. The county topped the league table with an overall patient experience rating of 7.5.

Compared to other organisations, the Trust rated particularly well for crisis care, too.

Chief Operating Officer Eugine Yafele said: “I'm delighted to see such positive results in our annual survey. We'll be closely looking at areas of best practice, as well as those where people have told us they would like to see more change, and using this to help inform how we deliver services in the future.”

Dorset HealthCare provides a range of community and in-patient mental health services across Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole including care and treatment for conditions such as depression, schizophrenia and eating disorders, as well as dementia and mental health problems relating to pregnancy and childbirth.

Now it says it will use the feedback to deliver new services which are 'a direct response to what people have told us they want.'

Rachel Small, Mental Health Community Services Manager said: "These services include easy access out of hours, and as a result we will be opening a new service called The Retreat in Bournemouth in April and one in Dorchester in 2019."

Source: BournemouthEcho