Watchdog group wins award for improving women's mental health unit in Milton Keynes

The Campbell Centre has made improvements to its women's acute mental health care - thanks to Healthwatch Milton Keynes

A city mental health care unit for women has improved following help from a watchdog group.

Healthwatch Milton Keynes has now won a national award for its work with the Willow Ward, an acute mental health care unit at the Campbell Centre.

Following a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection that found issues with between patients and staff on the Willow Ward, the watchdog group took action.

Over 12 months, they spent 170 hours speaking to patients, who were honest about their experiences. Women felt staff attitudes towards them were poor, and staff used insensitive language.

They reported feeling unsafe at times, there wasn’t enough support about their admission discharge process, and patients didn’t feel treated as individuals.

Using this feedback, Healthwatch Milton Keynes made targeted recommendations that led to 80% of staff completing training on trauma-informed care, and the introduction of a Peer Support Worker to help with discharge.

New guidance makes ward rounds less overwhelming for patients, and patients now have a one-page profile displayed in their room, explaining to staff what they need to feel cared for and safe.

These changes have improved relationships between staff and patients and made patients feel less anxious about the discharge process.

Jo Rance RN MSc, Head of Nursing, Mental Health Services said: “We have truly loved working with you at the Campbell Centre. Being able to get transparent, candid and instant feedback has been invaluable in our commitment to quality. We're on the right path in our journey ahead, and seeing the impact we've already made gives us the motivation to keep going."

The Healthwatch Impact Awards recognise outstanding examples of people sharing their experiences to improve care for their community. Up against 17 other shortlisted projects from across England, Healthwatch Milton Keynes took home top honours.

Maxine Taffetani, Chief Executive Officer said: “We are incredibly proud to win this award. We’d like to recognise the vulnerable women who trusted us with their experiences. Their honest feedback was instrumental in the recommendations we made for change. We’re also grateful to Central North West London for being so open to receiving feedback from patients, and committed to acting on it.”