ENGLAND’S chief inspector of hospitals is urging people to tell his inspectors what they think of the services provided by a North-East mental health trust.

The plea from Professor Sir Mike Richards was made ahead of a week-long scheduled inspection of services provided by the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.

The formal inspection by a team including clinical experts and people who have experience of using mental health services, will start on Monday January 19.

Over the course of a week, the inspection team will be visiting hospital wards managed by the trust, as well as many of the trusts community services.

The CQC is putting a greater emphasis on inspecting the care that people with mental health problems receive in the community at the same time as inspecting services for people who are admitted to hospital for assessment or treatment.

To ensure the views of the whole local community are properly represented, the inspectors are appealing to people to contact CQC either by telephone, email or online.

Sir Mike said: "The new inspections are designed to provide us with a clear picture of the quality of the services, exposing poor or mediocre care as well as highlighting those trusts providing good and excellent care.

“This is your opportunity to tell me and my team what you think, and to make a difference to the NHS services in this area”

Anyone who wishes to give their views to the inspection team can contact the CQC team online at cqc.org.uk/syeteeseskwear by phone on 03000-61-61-61 or by letter at CQC, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA or by email at enquiries@cqc.org.uk

A full report of the inspectors’ findings will be published by the CQC within a few months of the inspection..