Sir Julian Hartley visits Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

I visited Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust (Mersey Care) last month with Isabel Lawicka, our director of policy and strategy. We met chair Rosie Cooper and Trish Bennett, who succeeds Professor Joe Rafferty as chief executive this month. We also met several members of the board and mental health teams during our visit.

Mersey Care has almost trebled in size over the last decade and during that time focused on modernising its estate and digital infrastructure. The trust provides specialist inpatient and community services to support physical and mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services and is a founding member of the Zero Suicide Alliance.

Employing 11,000 people, the trust covers a population of more than 1.4 million people across Merseyside and parts of Lancashire and Cheshire.

Meeting the team, we heard about their increased emphasis on culture, values and co-creation with staff as the organisation has grown over the years, with a 'people first' approach for patients and service users at its heart.

Highlights included the work of the mental health triage and response team, which recently won the Seni Lewis award at the HSJ patient safety awards. This work was pivotal to the trust's response to the implementation of Right Care, Right Person and in reducing unnecessary accident and emergency attendances for patients detained under Section 136.

We also heard about the trust’s work in incorporating improved technology to help it identify and return abandoned calls to support those in crisis, and making productivity gains by using new technology to transcribe clinical information. 

The trust faces some challenges too, including long waits in the community and lack of recognition of the potential harm this causes. Finances are also a big worry and there needs to be greater understanding of the pivotal role the trust plays in providing services across the system. 

Trish then took us for a short trip over the road for a tour of the life rooms service with Michael Crilly, director of social health and community inclusion. This innovative model incorporates a strong social and community focus, supporting people’s mental and physical wellbeing. The service, which opened in 2018, is housed in an old library and the model has now been replicated in a handful of sites across Merseyside. The team links with over 300 voluntary organisations, Citizens Advice and cultural organisations like the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, providing support with issues from housing and employment to lifestyle and exercise. Co-production with local people, including with ethnic minority communities, has been fundamental to its success, as well as a willingness of the trust board to take a risk and try a new approach.  

I left Merseyside inspired by what the trust is achieving – they’re pushing the boundaries and keeping pace with new technological and therapeutic advances, while understanding that keeping staff engaged in a positive values-led culture is essential for providing the highest quality care for their communities. We wish Trish the very best as she steps into the chief executive role; congratulations to Joe on his retirement and many outstanding achievements over the course of his career.