The Trust provides services to 850,000 people in the area and the annual budget of £83M ensures the Trust can provide clinical and community services for people with learning disabilities including more than 50 places in specialist clinical facilities. There are also 185 places in over 40 community homes in the Doncaster area, plus services for people who are living at home.

Other services provided range from professional support for those living at home, to acute hospital-based care including rehabilitation, respite and day services. Child and adolescent mental health services are provided as well as specialist services for drug and alcohol misuse across the region.

Doncaster and South Humber Healthcare Trust was created in October 1999 as a result of the merger of Doncaster Healthcare NHS Trust and Scunthorpe Community Health Care NHS Trust. The Trust took on further responsibility in April 2002, by providing delivery of mental health services in Rotherham following the dissolution of the Rotherham Priority Health Services NHS Trust. Further restructuring of the Trust took place in June 2005 following the transfer of adult and older peoples’ mental health services in North and North East Lincolnshire to Primary Care Trust guardianship.

This continued expansion shows the commitment of the Trust to provide quality services for the many people of the area. With 2,590 staff members, the Trust operates from several sites including Doncaster Royal Infirmary, St Catherine’s in Doncaster, St John’s Hospice in Doncaster, Rotherham General Hospital, and Doncaster Gate Hospital.

The Trust can also boast the retention of the Charter Mark since submitting its first successful application in 1995. Since then, applications and supporting evidence has been submitted every three years and each time the outcome has been successful. Further responsibility was taken on in February 2006 as the Trust took up the option of assessment by annual health checks, which are designed to aid the process of continuous development. The success of the Trust can be displayed by its performance in annual ratings.

In September 2006, the Trust received a positive rating in a national review of adult community mental health services. The Trust was given a score of ‘good’ for its work on mental health services in Doncaster and Rotherham. The success of this rating can be put into context by the fact that only 10% of the 361 trusts that were assessed received a higher score. This rating was based on the accessibility of the services, care arrangements, and the involvement of service users and their carers in decision making and giving them choice about their care.

Constantly looking to improve, the Trust has had an action plan in place for many months and progress has already been made to address areas, which were considered in need of improvement. This will undoubtedly benefit the people of the region in the future. Another example of the competency of the Trust’s work is that it achieved top scores in the first Annual Health Check ratings for NHS Trusts. For the quality of its services, the Trust received a rating of ‘excellent’. This is an accolade, which puts the Trust in the top 4% of trusts in the country. In addition to this, the Trust scored ‘fully met’ for core standards and existing national targets, ‘excellent’ for new national targets, ‘good’ for the reviews of its adult community mental health and substance misuse services, giving an overall rating of excellent.

As well as this, the Trust received a score of ‘good’ for financial reporting, and ‘fair’ for value for money. These ratings display the continued success of the services the Trust provides.

The Trust is currently undergoing refurbishment schemes in order to offer improved accommodation to the users of its services. One such area of accommodation is number five Catherine’s Close. This accommodation houses the Learning Disability assessment and treatment unit. Unfortunately, it no longer complies with current standards. Therefore, work has commenced on a £500,000 refurbishment of this property and is due for completion in March 2007. Darwent Shaw Partnership is important to this development as the Company is the Quantity Surveyor for this development. There are many Building Services and Consultants, who are employed by the Trust to assist in refurbishment schemes in order to improve the quality of the facilities the Trust provides.

T&C Williams has carried out building refurbishments and installation of equipment for the Trust. The Company is currently tendering for the psychiatric intensive care unit. This development consists of a single-storey low secure mental health unit of approximately 580sq m. This facility will, wherever possible, enable patients to be rehabilitated into society or improve their state of mind so they can reach their full potential. The facilities for the mentally ill have to provide a healing environment, whilst being as safe as possible and reducing the potential for self-harm. The building will contain a safe coloured glass wall in the communal area to create a calming environment.

The development is currently out to tender but has a return date of 31 October 2006. The work will cost £1.5M in addition to VAT. Other companies have assisted the Trust in its refurbishment developments. These include O & P Construction Services Ltd, which has carried out a number of building refurbishments for the Trust, and Raceway Builders, which has carried out numerous building refurbishments, as well as many adoptions and alterations for the Trust.

This continued effort to improve its services will undoubtedly mean the Trust continues to achieve its main target, which is to provide the best possible care for the people who use its services.