MANCHESTER'S struggling psychiatric service says it is getting better - because it is listening to patients and staff more.
The number of people involved in tailoring their care to suit their needs has increased from just 40 last year to 257.
And 80 per cent have had their care reviewed in the last year compared to just 30pc in July 2008.
Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust failed to meet five key national targets last year - but trust bosses think they'll all be hit this year.
Chief executive Jackie Daniel says the trust's overall rating for patient services should go up from 'weak' to 'fair' and its score for use of resources should go from 'fair' to 'good'.
Ms Daniel said: "We have been working really hard and we are much more engaged with users and carers.
"We have started a new forum, relationships with staff have improved and there is a real culture of change. We have had fewer serious untoward incidents and fewer complaints."
Ms Daniel took over at a tricky time. A damning report two years said the city had one of the worst performing mental health services in the country.
It struggled with months of industrial action over the sacking of senior nurse Karen Reissmann.
Communication
Previous chief executive Sheila Foley then quit ahead of an independent report which criticised the trust for poor working relationships and a lack of effective communication. It said the trust was failing to have a noticeable impact on the city's higher-than-average need for mental health services.
It was also criticised for the time patients are forced to stay in hospital waiting for other care. The average hospital stay for patients has now been cut from 59 to 49 days for older patients, but the average for all adults has crept up from 57 to 60.
And an average of 35 patients a week had their discharge from hospital delayed last year - well above the target of 23.
Ms Daniel said: "Our lengths of stay are still too long but we continue to work hard on this."
She said the trust was reviewing its range of accommodation and its systems to try to find ways of cutting hospital stays.
Crisis care for people who turn up at A&E has also got better - 27 people waited more than four hours to be treated last month compared to 40 in June.
Chris O'Gorman, of NHS Manchester, said: "The trust have made some progress but there is quite a long way to go to sort out the beds issue that has dogged Manchester's mental health services for a long time.
"People are on the wards for too long. If the care trust can make real progress in tackling that problem it will be a sign to everybody."
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Failures should be sacked. Public sector failures never are which is why we get terrible value for money from them.
Combining the hospital psychiatric services with social services is a predictable disaster - despite its failings the NHS has generally been better run than social service departments with less waffle and political correctness. Complain if you have a different consultant psychiatrist for hospital care and care when you have been discharged - this is clinically nonsensical. Complain if you are continually seeing different community nurses when living back at home...continuity is essential in psychiatry for accurate assessment and to build a relationship. If you think your treatment has been good - please say so, it is good for the staff.
Cause we all know that when people are constantly trying to hit targets the best care is always given. Yeah right!
Many mental health problems could be eased considerably if a totally different approach was taken.
Depression affects the whole family, yet only the patient is the one to get any help and that help would be a lot better if the family were a part of that help. To provide that help they have to be able to understand what the problem is.
From first hand experience I know that drugs do help, to a degree, but the recovery is slow and the best treatment of all is talking, talking, talking and more talking.
A differnet approach, in my opinion, couls save vast amounts of money.
I wonder sometimes if there is an element of bias and victimization in the psychiatric services whereby they cover over other big organizations wrongs as well as their own and the patient then becomes more of a victim. I feel there is a strong probability regarding the above.
Its possible to do anything or tell us anything when the general public know virtually nothing about the most common mental illnesses or disorders.I went to a medical wth someone recently who has a mild form of autism.The doctor was shocked and surprised to know that over a few years neighbours had learned how to help and he didnt and has never required any services.Previous to this it was another lot of neighbours,before that family and neighbours.The general publics knowledge seems to be Rainman.Come out of your small world.People with mental health problems are getting on with it all over the country,with and without help.We need to know that the most serious cases are getting the best help possible and the public are educated regarding these matters as to what might be a danger or a person at risk and in need of help.People when they understand may take the position that'Were all a little bit of this and that'.I know I am,and look out for vulnerable people rather than be afraid.Why should they be isolated in communities with only carers calling for a few minutes and no support or day centres to attend.What are churches doing with regard this matter?