Publish date: 16 May 2025
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) is the largest specialist provider of mental health, learning disabilities and autism services in the South West and one of the largest in the country, with around 5,000 staff supporting a population of 1.9million people.
This edition of our Thinking Ahead newsletter provides a snapshot of the work we’re doing to provide high quality, compassionate mental health, learning disability and autism care for the people we serve.
Mental Health Awareness Week 2025
We’re proud to be supporting national Mental Health Awareness Week (12-18 May). This year’s theme is ‘community’ and throughout this week, we have been reminding people of the local options available should they need support. Here’s how we’re getting involved:
- Explore our mental health resources, developed in collaboration with healthcare professionals and service users.
- Launched on Tuesday, and already having nearly 2,500 views, our latest podcast has been the most popular yet! Listen here - featuring Glen Watson and the story of his son Adam’s struggles with anxiety and depression, which tragically led to his suicide in 2022.
- Follow us on social media. We’re sharing holistic approaches to mental health and spotlighting local opportunities, including peer-support groups and community initiatives.
‘Significant improvements’ lead to Good CQC rating
We are pleased to share that our Adult acute mental health wards and community mental health services have been rated Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following a report published in April. The services are used by patients across Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire.
CQC said the services had made “significant improvements’ since their last inspection. Patients said that staff were ‘supportive, caring and kind” and patients felt ‘listened to and involved in the planning and delivery of their care’. The report added that managers of these services led with ‘integrity, openness and honesty’.
Latest NHS Staff Survey results - Improvements across AWP
Our latest national staff survey results, published in March, show continued progress across all key workforce areas. Headlines include:
- The number of staff who would recommend AWP as a place to work is at its highest level for 10 years
- More staff said the organisation was compassionate and inclusive
- Increase in numbers of staff saying they felt recognised and rewarded
- Staff morale scores above national average (for similar trusts)
- Biggest improvements were seen in the organisation’s approach to learning and around flexible working opportunities
AWP triumphs at regional awards
We were delighted to pick up three awards at the South West Integrated Personalised Care Awards 2024 for our nature-based practice, our new approach to care planning (Your Team, Your Conversation, Your Plan), and how we work with partners to support people in a mental health crisis.
AWP Chief Operating Officer, Mathew Page, said: “We are working really hard to transform and improve our services through effective partnershi
ps and by providing outstanding care for our patients. So it is wonderful to see so much of that hard work and expertise recognised regionally. All three of these projects demonstrate our principles of co-production, integration with partner services, tackling health inequalities and providing effective interventions."
More people supported by our Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire Talking Therapies Team
In March, a record number of individuals were referred to our BSW Talking Therapies service.
We have also launched a new website making it easier than ever for people to get support To visit the site, click here.
The service supports people experiencing more common issues such as stress, low mood, anxiety and depression. Our campaign to increase referrals has seen us team up with local sports clubs, media organisations and Royal Mail.
You can also follow the service on social media just search ‘We are Talking Therapies’
New Young Carers Hub Launched
We are delighted to have launched our first Young Carers Hub. The hub i
s for anyone under the age of 18 who has caring responsibilities.
Sue Woodland, from the Patient and Carer Experience Team, said: “Caring for someone can be a lonely place to be, we hope that we can go some way to show young carers that they are not alone. If you have any ideas and would like to help develop the resource on our pages, please contact awp.patientexperienceteam@nhs.net.”
Young people can access the page here
New involvee passport launched
A new document developed by service users and patients to support those people working in co-production across AWP has been produced. The new Involvee Passport is aimed at helping those people with lived experience of our services and who work in co-production with AWP staff, to share any information they feel is helpful to them to work on an equal footing.
Maternal Mental Health Week (5-11 May)
Maternal Mental Health Week was an opportunity for us to talk about mental health problems before, during and after pregnancy.
We produced a short video with Becky, who tells her story about life after pregnancy and her positive experience with our BSW Perinatal Team. You can watch the video here. And we shared more information about local support available through our community perinatal teams.
Autism Acceptance Month – “I’ve been there too and here’s what’s helped me”
March was national autism acceptance month and we were privileged to hear from Ben, one of AWPs peer mentor at the Bristol Autism Spectrum Service (BASS).
He’s shared his own lived experience with autism and how
his role with AWP helps others remove barriers and improve the services and support provided.Click here to read Ben’s story.
Our very own Jacob Kelly - the UK’s first neurodiversity rugby coach
Jacob is a Mental Health Worker at AWP, and he has turned his ADHD experience into a powerhouse for inclusion. Jacob, who was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, is one example of someone who has benefitted from our services and gone on to make a meaningful difference. As the UK’s first neurodiversity rugby coach, he’s providing tailored strategies and mental health tools to support neurodivergent players.
Thanking our Mental Health Nurses
This year, for Mental Health Nurses Day in May we wanted to highlight the crucial role of our mental health nurses, focusing on how we support individuals with mental health challenges. To mark the occasion, we released a video showcasing how our nursing staff maintain their own health and wellbeing while caring for others.
What its like to work for one of the country’s biggest mental health trusts? We are providing a glimpse of life at AWP through a new stories hub on our special Careers Website.
There are hundreds of career choices on offer at AWP, from fr
ontline clinical roles through to non-clinical administration and support roles, including apprenticeships.
Many roles support flexible working so that you can manage other commitments and still make a vital contribution to the work we do.
Visit our jobs page to find the perfect role at AWP for you.
