THE latest inspection report for Somerset's mental health services has show improvements. 

Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health and community services across the county, has been rated as 'good' by the Care Quality Commission. 

Before the new report was published, the service had been given a 'requires improvement' rating in September 2015. 

Inspectors found there had been significant improvements across the trust.  

Seven services previously rated requires improvement were now rated good including acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units, wards for older people with mental health problems, community-based mental health services for adults of working age, community health services for adults, minor injuries unit /urgent care and sexual health.

Community mental health services for people with learning disabilities or autism moved from a rating of inadequate to good.   

There were improvements in safety in some areas, but inspectors found there continued to be concerns in community health inpatient units, acute wards for adults of working age, psychiatric intensive care units and community health services for adults.

Somerset Partnership chief executive, Dr Nick Broughton, welcomed the report and said: “I am delighted with the CQC report and the significant improvement it acknowledges. This is great news for our patients who rely on the quality of our services, and for our staff who have worked so hard in making the improvements. This report and our new rating are testament to their focus and commitment to providing high quality patient care.

“Of course, I know there are more areas we need to improve. I am pleased the CQC is confident that our leadership team will be able to implement the further improvements required but also sustain those changes already made.

“While I am proud of our achievement, I want our Trust to keep aiming higher. I want our Good rating to be a stepping stone to having our Trust and our services rated as outstanding. The best organisations are continuously striving to improve and I know that this is what our Trust is also doing.”

Karen Bennett -Wilson, CQC’s head of hospital inspection (mental health) said: “In September 2015, our inspectors identified the need for improvement in a number of key areas.  

"When we returned to re-inspect in March - we had initially intended to focus on those areas to see if improvements had been made.  

"However, CQC intelligence and the evidence provided by the trust indicated there had been some dramatic changes within the trust which meant there was an opportunity to look more widely, across the trust. 

“It was encouraging to find that Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust had taken to heart our original inspection report and worked to ensure significant improvement has been made, leading to an improved quality of care for people using these services.

“This inspection found that the trust was well led but the leadership team acknowledged that there is still further work to be do.

"I am confident that the leadership team will be able to implement the further improvements required but also sustain those changes already made.”

Out of 17 core services provided by the trust, 15 are now rated Good overall.

The rating for community mental health services for people with learning disabilities or autism changed from and overall rating of Inadequate to good but was rated outstanding for the well-led key question (are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led).

Reflecting the marked improvements and the way the changes had been implemented by the leaders of the service.