Our Patient Charter

We provide specialist mental health assessments and treatment for adults, children aged 5 and over, young people and families across the UK.

Our services are voluntary and delivered in the community, online and face to face.

This charter explains what you as a patient, parent or carer can expect from us, and what we ask from you so that we can work together in a safe, respectful and supportive way.

2. Working together

Your care works best when we work in partnership. Clear roles and shared responsibilities help us deliver care safely and consistently.

To help us provide safe and effective care, we ask that you (on behalf of yourself or your child/young person as appropriate):

• Share accurate and honest information about your/their health and circumstances, to help us make safe and appropriate clinical decisions

• Tell us what matters most to you/them, and any preferences or reasonable adjustments that would help you/them take part fully in your/their care

• Let us know if your/their situation changes

• Attend appointments or give appropriate notice if you need to reschedule

• Ask questions if something is unclear

• Treat all members of our team with courtesy and respect

Open and honest communication helps us make safe and appropriate clinical decisions.

Respectful communication is important in both directions. We are committed to treating you and your family with respect, empathy and understanding, and we ask that conversations with our teams remain respectful too. We know that people may contact us when they are worried, frustrated or under pressure, and we will always do our best to listen and help. Where communication becomes abusive, aggressive, discriminatory, or persistently unreasonable, this can affect our ability to support you safely and consistently. In those situations, we may need to take reasonable steps to manage communication appropriately, including involving senior colleagues where needed.

3. What we provide

We provide:

• Specialist mental health and neurodevelopmental assessments

• Clinical reports and documents that explain our findings, recommendations and treatment decisions clearly, including diagnoses where these can be made safely and appropriately based on the available clinical evidence

• Treatment and medication support where commissioned or agreed

• Clear recommendations based on clinical evidence

We explain our clinical findings, recommendations and treatment decisions clearly, including when an assessment does not result in a diagnosis. Our clinicians will work with you to understand what matters most to you, and we will explain our recommendations in the context of your situation and priorities.

Our services are delivered within defined clinical pathways and quality systems to ensure care is safe, consistent and evidence-based.

4. What we are not able to provide

Our role is to assess and treat mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions.

We are not able to provide additional medico-legal letters, certificates or reports for:

• Workplace adjustments

• Driving licence applications

• Fitness to fly or travel

• Employment disputes

• Legal proceedings

• Immigration or benefits claims

• Formal reasonable adjustment certification

These decisions require assessment within the specific context of employment, legal or statutory frameworks, and must be made by the relevant authority or specialist service.

We understand these requests can be important, and we will always be clear about what we can offer within your pathway, and we will explain any limitations as early as possible. Defining clear boundaries helps ensure our clinical opinions remain safe, appropriate and within professional and regulatory standards.

6. Children, young people and families

For children and young people:

• We listen to the young person’s voice, and where appropriate, consider their understanding and ability to be involved in decisions about their care, in line with their best interests

• We involve parents and carers who have asked for the child/young person to be referred to us

• We explain things in age-appropriate language

• We consider emotional, developmental and social needs

We aim to create a safe and supportive environment for the child/young person’s family and we work within recognised safeguarding, quality and governance standards when caring for children and young people. Our service is designed and commissioned to gather information in a structured way and it may not be possible to accommodate multiple appointments with individual family members at different times.

7. Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to fair and equitable care.

We will:

• Treat all people equally, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, belief, language or background

• Value diversity and lived experience

• Make reasonable adjustments where required

• Work to reduce barriers to accessing care

If something does not feel inclusive or accessible, we want to know.

8. Your rights

You have the right to:

• Be treated with dignity and respect

• Receive clear information about your care

• Be involved in decisions

• Ask questions and receive answers

• Raise concerns or make a complaint

• Access your personal information in line with data protection law

These rights reflect national healthcare expectations and regulatory standards.

Your participation in our services is voluntary.

You may choose to pause or stop care. In rare situations where there are serious clinical safety concerns, we may need to take alternative steps to support safety.

10. Working in partnership

We know that reaching out for mental health support can feel difficult, especially if you have been waiting, feeling uncertain, or navigating complex systems.

Our aim is to create a service where you feel listened to, respected and supported from your first contact with us through to the end of your care.

We are committed to learning and improving. Your experiences, whether positive or challenging, help us understand what matters and strengthen our services and provide safer, more compassionate care for everyone.

We see care as a partnership. When we work openly and respectfully together, we can make meaningful progress.

Thank you for trusting us with your care.