Will Quince MP visited The Lakes Mental Health Unit in Colchester on Friday 29 September 2017 to see at first-hand what a mental health unit is like.
After a brief meeting with senior managers including Sally Morris, Chief Executive of Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) which manages The Lakes, Mr Quince was given a tour of Ardleigh Ward and Gosfield Ward.
A presentation about how the Trust manages bed occupancy through a programme called Red2Green was given by Elizabeth Wells, Associate Director Adult Inpatient and Emergency Care. Red2Green is a system for ensuring that patients do not spend more time in hospital beds than necessary (“red days”) and moving them on to spending only time in hospital beds that contributes to their recovery (“green days”). EPUT is amongst the first few mental health trusts to adopt Red2Green, and is supported by NHS Improvement (NHSI).
Dr Sandy Sachse spoke about the Therapeutic programme and how this is benefitting patients.
Gareth Walton, Clinical Manager spoke about the work of the Home Treatment Team who plays a vital role in treating patients in their own homes as and when required. The Home Treatment Team is made up of doctors, nurses and several other specialists who work together to find the best treatment and care plans for their patients.
Sidick Peeraully, Clinical Manager spoke about the challenges of managing the acute inpatient wards and that his priorities are for improving patient experience and staff morale.
Mr Quince said: “I would like to thank the Trust for kindly sparing the time to talk to me about their work and plans for the future. Tackling poor mental health must be a priority and I am pleased that Ministers have legislated to treat it with the same importance as physical health.”
Sally Morris, Chief Executive of EPUT said: “It was good to welcome Mr Quince to our mental health unit in Colchester and I’m glad that he got the chance to find out more about the challenges we face in treating mental illness and what we are doing to improve the patient experience. Locally we are working hard to make mental health just as important as physical health.”