Mental Health and Rehabilitation: Experiences of in-patients in Hillingdon

People with serious mental health disorders face poorer long-term health outcomes, with mortality rates in England that are 3.7 times higher and 15 to 20 years earlier than the general population due to poor physical health such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, diabetes, and hypertension, and high rates of suicide associated with psychoses. 

With demand for mental health support on the rise, and a drive in Hillingdon to ensure services provide the best quality, holistic support to improve long term outcomes for patients, we welcomed the opportunity to work in partnership with the Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL), to review in-patient experiences at the Riverside and Woodlands Centres, and Colham Green rehabilitation unit. 

Largely positive, this report provides an overview of the conversations we held with patients, who are often unheard in society, and we hope the feedback we’ve presented provides useful learning for CNWL to enable the continuous improvement to the valuable facilities and care it provides to patients.