Paddy Noctor.
MOST community mental health patients are happy with the service they receive, according to a report by a local healthcare watchdog.
The Isle of Wight LINk, which surveyed 126 community mental health patients, found eight out of ten people felt they had good access to services and received a good, or very good, level of empathy and respect.
But concern was raised about the capacity of services to cope with demands placed upon them.
More than seven out of ten said the care they had received was effective or quite effective.
One said "Every time I’ve needed someone, they have been very responsive" and another added "I have had good support with self management."
However, one in ten said they had not received enough help, and the same number said they had received very little empathy and respect.
Nearly one in five said they had not been involved in their care and most of those questioned did not know if they had a crisis plan.
One respondent said: "Mental health services need to be improved dramatically. I know there are limits but no staff have ever fully listened to the traumas I have experienced."
Concerns were raised about the variation in the quality of care depending on individual health workers, and the service was struggling to cope with the number of patients, currently around 1,800.
"What is emerging is the capacity of services to cope with the demands being placed upon it," said the report.
"Workload figures produced by the Isle of Wight NHS Trust reveal a service silting up with patients. The lack of ongoing support mechanisms within the community is creating blockages (500-plus currently in the rehabilitation system and 200-plus in the acute and recovery phase after one year)."
Project lead Paddy Noctor said: "The report, which interviewed a good proportion of community mental health service users on the Island, showed services were accessible and most people received good treatment from staff.
"There were a few areas for improvement, including the inconsistency in crisis planning, support for those living in their own homes and the lack of a really independent service user network.
"We are looking forward to working with commissioners and providers to help implement improvements in these areas."
Reporter: martinn@iwcpmail.co.uk