Statement: Trust response to the CQC report
Date added: 09 October 2025
Last updated: 09 October 2025
Today, the CQC has published its findings from inspections which was undertaken back in March into two services run by Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.
CQC has re-rated community-based mental health services for adults and working age people as Requires Improvement overall.
As part of their inspection, CQC rated the Trust in six areas:
- Effective, caring, responsive, and well-led were rated as Requires Improvement
- Safe has been downgraded from Requires Improvement to Inadequate
- Caring has been downgraded from Outstanding to Good
Sheila Stenson, chief executive officer of Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust said:
“We accept the findings of the CQC’s report in full, and are committed to delivering significant service improvements for the people and communities we serve.
“The report makes for difficult reading, and while this is not the outcome we wanted, it reflects areas that we had already identified from our own independent review earlier this year and had begun to address as part of our continuous improvement plan.
“On receiving the report from the CQC on 8 April, we acted quickly. We shared our plan to respond to the warning notice within weeks and urgent changes were made immediately.
“The inspection was undertaken at a moment in time for our Trust - during a period of significant change and transformation within our community mental health teams, and provides valuable feedback to help us improve further.
“Since March, we have already made improvements and have a detailed plan in place to address the remaining issues raised, and we are confident that the changes underway will lead to meaningful and sustainable improvements.
“We remain fully committed to delivering the highest standards of care and support, and with the continued dedication of our staff and the involvement of people who use our services, families and carers, we will move forward with determination and transparency.
“We thank the CQC for their feedback, and look forward to demonstrating the progress we are making in the months ahead.”
