We are placing the patient voice at the heart of Mental Health care

Mental Health care, particularly in our inpatient units, is being revolutionised by listening to and incorporating the patient’s perspective throughout their care. The Culture of Care programme has been adopted by four of the wards at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust. It focuses on three main pillars which are at the heart of how we provide care: trauma-informed, autism-aware and anti-racist. To achieve these aims, the patient’s voice is placed at the centre of our care planning and delivery

On 15 May 2025, we held our first Culture of Care Celebration event to share the incredible progress already made and how the programme is supporting patients and staff to mutually achieve better outcomes. Trust staff shared the quality improvement initiatives that have been implemented as a result of working with patients to highlight areas of need. They have included a carers booklet which was designed to provide information to the families and carers of patients when they enter an inpatient unit, including information on visiting times and walkaround images of inside the unit where their family member would be staying.

We were delighted to be joined by Megan McKee from the Royal College of Psychiatrists who praised our teams for their innovative work.

The celebration event shared presentations from key voices pioneering this approach at the Trust, and former service users who now work as Experts by Experience supporting and advocating for patients and staff. Caroline Flint, Trust Chair, and Paul Johnson, Clinical Director, led the presentations which took participants through the three pillars.

Trauma-informed, autism-aware and anti-racist care requires practitioners to gain a true insight into the needs of each patient individually to create a holistic care package which is tailored to specific preferences and requirements. By taking a trauma informed approach, care can be delivered in a way that does not expose patients to any further trauma that could derail their recovery. It is also vital that any neurodiversity is understood, and reasonable adjustments are made. Anti racism is not simply ensuring racism is not present, but also acting to fully understand the cultural needs can be met for all patients.

The Culture of Care Programme is part of NHS England's Quality Transformation Programme, it aims to improve the culture of inpatient mental health, learning disability and autism wards for patients and staff so that they are safe, therapeutic and equitable places to be cared for, and fulfilling places to work.

Our Trust has adopted the Culture of Care programme across four of our inpatient wards, including adult mental health wards and secure forensic psychiatric wards. Nearly a year into the programme a huge amount of work has taken place and progress is already visible, but there remains a passion to drive continuous improvements across the entire Trust as we move forward. This commitment reflects the Trust’s dedication to placing compassion, understanding, and equality at the core of mental health care.