Improvements have been made at The Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), according to the latest report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The report follows an assessment in May 2025 and gives the Trust a rating of ‘requires improvement’, although it is only a few percentage points away from falling into the ‘good’ category. NSFT scored 59% overall, with the threshold for ‘good’ being 63%.
What did the report say?
The CQC praised the attitude of the Trust’s staff as well as its ‘vision, values and strategy for the future’. It also highlighted the increase in staffing in the last 12 months, the robust reporting systems which have been introduced and the way in which leaders act with ‘integrity, credibility and respect.’
Inspectors also noted improvements in the Friends and Family Test results, including a 50% rise in response rates and ratings of ‘good’ or ‘very good’ increasing by 33% over the past two years. Ratings of ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ had reduced by 57% over the same timeframe.
However, the report also highlighted a number of areas that need addressing. These include pockets of poor culture that affect staff and service users who are disabled or from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds. Further work also needs to take place to ensure staff feel confident to raise concerns and that the time taken to respond to complaints is reduced. It was also advised that senior leaders should be more visible to staff.
How has NSFT responded?
Responding to the latest report from the CQC, NSFT said further improvement has taken place during the five months since the inspection was carried out. This includes a staff-led transformation programme called Listening into Action, which it says is helping to improve the working environment and culture at the Trust. There is also a race equality improvement plan in place to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of Black, Asian and ethnic minority staff.
‘Sustained improvement’
Caroline Donovan, Chief Executive Officer at NSFT, said: “This well-led assessment highlights several key areas of sustained improvement and shows the large-scale transformation which is taking place at NSFT is beginning to reap positive results.
“We are particularly pleased that the inspectors have once again recognised the hard work and dedication of our staff and their commitment to the individuals and communities we serve.
“We know we still have much more to do to deliver consistent good quality mental health services and were already taking action to address many of the areas for focus highlighted by the CQC.
“Improving our culture is one of our strategic priorities, while we have renewed our commitment to enhancing the experiences which staff from an ethnic minority background have when they come to work. In addition, we are also taking positive steps to ensure we respond to more complaints within our target timeframe while making it easier for staff to raise concerns.
“We look forward to working closely together to continue to drive these improvements and build on the solid foundations which we have already put in place so that we can consistently provide safer, kinder, better services for our communities.”
‘Some real positives’
Zoë Billingham, NSFT Chair, said: “This is a strong report for the Trust which contains some real positives. It recognises significant areas of improvement, and we are on the cusp of being rated good.
“I am delighted that the CQC recognised the significant improvements in partnership working as well as the progress we have made involving service users carers and families across our improvement programme. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank our staff for their hard work.
“We are not complacent, and we continue to work closely with our service users, families, carers and partners across Norfolk and Suffolk, to make sure our local communities receive the safer, kinder and better mental health services they rightly deserve.”
Read the full CQC report here.