Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust

Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust We are a proactive, united mental health service for our communities across Kent and Medway. https://linktr.ee/KentMedwayMentalHealth

Helping communities stay well and live well with their mental health. Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Trust provide services for people experiencing mental health problems across Kent and Medway.

Practising self-care ❤️‍🩹As our summer wellbeing series for children and young people comes to an end, we want to share ...
07/09/2026

Practising self-care ❤️‍🩹

As our summer wellbeing series for children and young people comes to an end, we want to share some simple ways to practise self-care all year round.

Self-care can be as simple as taking part in physical activity, spending time doing things you enjoy, or getting a good night's sleep.

Aku, aged 13, is one of our DofE volunteers and wanted to share some of his favourite ways to practise self-care:

“Doing things like spending time with my family, playing sports and listening to music are ways I try to keep myself relaxed after school.

“Other things like taking breaks from homework and getting a good 8 hours of sleep are also ways for us to feel better during our day. Everyone enjoys different things so it's important that we find activities that make us feel calm and happy."

Share your own self-care tips and ideas in the comments below 💬

We'd like to say a huge thank you to Aku for sharing his young voice and perspective throughout this series, helping other young people to look after their wellbeing.

05/09/2026

Earlier this week, after an extensive refurbishment, Coleman House reopened 👐

In this video, Acting Chief Nurse, Julie Kirby explains why the reopening of Coleman House is such an important step for mental health care in Dover and the surrounding communities.

The refurbished building provides a more welcoming and therapeutic environment for people accessing our services, helping to improve patient experience while ensuring that they get the right help at the right time.

We'd also like to say a huge thank you to all of our colleagues involved in the project. Their flexibility, resilience and hard work have helped make this transformation possible and will benefit local people for years to come.

🎥 Watch the video to find out more.

A handheld ECG could make health checks easier for people receiving mental health care 💙We're excited to share the resul...
04/09/2026

A handheld ECG could make health checks easier for people receiving mental health care 💙

We're excited to share the results of a project that explored whether a small handheld electrocardiogram (ECG) device could make heart health monitoring simpler and more comfortable for people taking certain mental health medications.

The handheld device can be used quickly without attaching multiple sensors to the body, making the process less intrusive and easier for patients.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive:
✅ 97% found it easy or very easy to use
✅ 84% preferred it to a traditional ECG
✅ 92% said they would be more likely to agree to monitoring using the handheld device

Regular physical health checks are an important part of caring for people taking medications such as clozapine. By exploring new ways of delivering care, we're helping to reduce barriers and improve patients' experiences.

The findings have been presented nationally and are helping to inform further research into how this technology could support mental health care in the future.

Read more on our website: https://www.kentmedwaymentalhealth.nhs.uk/news-and-events/news/handheld-ecg-could-make-physical-health-checks-easier-for-people-receiving-mental-health-care/

Are you interested in joining Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust? We've rounded up some roles across our sites 👇· L...
04/09/2026

Are you interested in joining Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust? We've rounded up some roles across our sites 👇

· Locum Consultant Psychiatrist- Foxglove Ward (In-patient) (Psychiatry ) - apply by 08 September
https://buff.ly/6gpurjx
· Senior Occupational Therapist (Band 6) - apply by 15 September
https://buff.ly/EpyshJ3
· Occupational Therapist (Band 5) - apply by 15 September
https://buff.ly/WdEdoP4
· Out of Hours Bed Manager (Band 6) - apply by 15 September
https://buff.ly/DDrXM92
· Locum Consultant Rehabilitation Psychiatrist – Inpatient (Consultant) - apply by 13 September
https://buff.ly/tPcZ2VQ

Keep checking the vacancies on our website for new opportunities. https://buff.ly/AkdoWRl

2 HSJ Award nominations for occupational therapy-led innovation 🏆We're delighted to share that an occupational therapy-l...
03/09/2026

2 HSJ Award nominations for occupational therapy-led innovation 🏆

We're delighted to share that an occupational therapy-led improvement project developed by Occupational Therapy Apprentice Kate Merlini-Moorcroft has been shortlisted for 2 HSJ Patient Safety Awards:

⭐ Early Stage Patient Safety Innovation of the Year
⭐ Mental Health Safety Improvement Award

The project, Minimal Risk Activity Packs (MRAP), provides patients with low-risk, calming and meaningful activities, including arts and crafts and self-care resources.

The packs have been shown to reduce self-harm incidents on inpatient female mental health wards and, following a successful pilot, have now been embedded into routine therapeutic care across our acute inpatient services.

These nominations are fantastic recognition of Kate's innovation and the dedication of our occupational therapy teams, who work every day to deliver compassionate, patient-centred care.

Congratulations to Kate and everyone involved in making MRAP such a success 👏

National recognition for our Corporate Head of Nursing and Quality 🎉We're proud to share that our Corporate Head of Nurs...
02/09/2026

National recognition for our Corporate Head of Nursing and Quality 🎉

We're proud to share that our Corporate Head of Nursing and Quality, Shannon Paine, has been shortlisted for the Rising Star Nurse Leader Award at this year’s Nursing Times Workforce Awards.

The award recognises emerging nursing leaders who are making a real difference through their leadership, innovation and commitment to delivering high-quality care.

Shannon plays an important role in supporting colleagues, championing excellent care and helping to drive positive change across our services.

Being shortlisted is a fantastic achievement and well-deserved recognition of the passion and dedication she brings to her role.

Please join us in congratulating Shannon on this national recognition 👏

Coleman House reopens its doors in Dover 🏥Today we were delighted to celebrate the reopening of Coleman House in Dover, ...
02/09/2026

Coleman House reopens its doors in Dover 🏥

Today we were delighted to celebrate the reopening of Coleman House in Dover, following a 6-month refurbishment that has transformed the building into a brighter, more welcoming space for people receiving mental health support.

Coleman House has been supporting local people for over 30 years and is home to a range of services including Mental Health Together, the Memory Assessment Service, Early Intervention in Psychosis, perinatal mental health services and support for people with learning disabilities.

The improved hub will help people access mental health care and community support closer to home, with teams working alongside local organisations including Invicta Health, Porchlight and Shaw Trust.

A special part of the refurbishment is a collection of photographs donated by former trust colleague and current service user Gill Ashington, whose beautiful images of Dover now feature throughout the building.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this project possible and to the Town Mayor of Dover Councillor Bekah Dawes for joining us to celebrate this important milestone.



Dover District Council

Got a question for our AGM? 💬We’d love to hear what you’d like to know.Do you have a question about what we’ve achieved ...
01/09/2026

Got a question for our AGM? 💬

We’d love to hear what you’d like to know.

Do you have a question about what we’ve achieved over the past year, our plans for the future or Doing well together, our new five-year strategy?

Send us your question in advance and it could be answered during our AGM Q&A.

Please submit your question by midnight on Wednesday 9 September.

Submit your question:https://www.kentmedwaymentalhealth.nhs.uk/about-us/trust-board/board-meetings/annual-general-meeting-23-september-2026/submit-a-question-for-the-agm/

Then join us online for the AGM on Wednesday 23 September, 5pm–7pm: https://www.kentmedwaymentalhealth.nhs.uk/about-us/trust-board/board-meetings/annual-general-meeting-23-september-2026/

Have your say on community mental health care 📝The Care Quality Committee's (CQC) 2026 Community Mental Health Survey ha...
01/09/2026

Have your say on community mental health care 📝

The Care Quality Committee's (CQC) 2026 Community Mental Health Survey has launched, giving people the chance to share their experiences and help improve community mental health services.

If you're selected, you will receive an invitation by post between August and November 2026. Invitations will be sent to a random group of people who used community mental health services during April and May this year.

✔️ Taking part is voluntary
✔️ Your responses will be kept confidential
✔️ Any published results will be anonymous

If you're invited to take part, your contact details will only be used by researchers to carry out the survey and won't be shared with anyone else.

If you have any questions, or would prefer not to take part, please contact PALS:

📞 West Kent: 0800 587 6757
📞 East Kent: 0800 783 9972

More information about PALS can be found on our website: https://www.kentmedwaymentalhealth.nhs.uk/pdf-documents/carers-documents/carers-general-info-documents/carers-guide-to-confidentiality/patient-advice-and-liaison-service-pals-and-complaints/

Thank you for helping us hear the voices of people who use our services 💙

Come and join us for our virtual AGM What have we achieved over the past year and what’s next for mental health care acr...
30/08/2026

Come and join us for our virtual AGM

What have we achieved over the past year and what’s next for mental health care across Kent and Medway?

Join us for our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 23 September, 5pm–7pm.
You’ll hear from our Chief Executive Sheila Stenson, our new Trust Chair Colin Lynch and our Executive Management Team about the year we’ve had, our plans for the future and our new five-year strategy, Doing well together.

We’ll also share how we want to make mental health care easier to access, easier to navigate and more consistent for patients, communities and colleagues.

Find out more and join us: https://www.kentmedwaymentalhealth.nhs.uk/about-us/trust-board/board-meetings/annual-general-meeting-23-september-2026/

We’d love you to be there.

Address

Kent And Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, Priority House, Hermitage Lane
Maidstone
ME169PH

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organisation

Send a message to Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust:

Shortcuts

Share

Category