ONE of the region’s biggest mental health trusts has been given an overall rating of ‘good’ by inspectors.

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, which provides services across County Durham and Darlington, the Tees Valley and a large part of North Yorkshire was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in January 2015.

The trust was rated as outstanding or good in 52 of 60 of the areas inspected. None of the services were rated as inadequate and the inspectors highlighted 16 areas of good practice.

Inspectors rated all services as outstanding or good for being caring and said that staff fully supported patients, treated them with dignity and respect and involved them in their care and treatment.

The CQC also said the trust’s leadership was outstanding and that leaders promoted the delivery of good quality care.

Dr Paul Lelliott, CQC’s deputy chief inspector of hospitals, said TEWV: “Provides good and some outstanding services to a large population. We found a committed and caring workforce that was meeting the needs of its patients.

“The staff we met were positive about their work and proud to be employed by Tees Esk and Wear Valleys. They trust the leadership team to manage the uncertainties, and lead the organisation in a way that enables them to concentrate on developing the services and delivering high quality care.

“While our overall finding is that the trust provides a good service, we did find some areas for improvement. The trust has told us they have listened to our inspectors’ findings and we are confident that the executive team, with the support of their staff, will work to deliver those improvements on behalf of all of their patients.”

Martin Barkley, chief executive of the trust, said: “This is an extremely positive report and is a testament to the commitment of our staff to providing excellent services."