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Community Mental Health Survey 2026

How was your mental health care?

At East London Foundation Trust, your voice is important to us. We use your feedback so that we can understand how to improve care for your and our community. Therefore, we are excited to announce that, in August, the NHS is again launching a major survey on people’s experiences of using mental health services. If you used services in April or May 2026, you could be invited to take part and share your thoughts on the quality of support you received. 

In last year’s survey, we received 222 responses from people aged 16 and over, who used the survey to tell us what is working well and what requires improvement. We listened to your experiences.

 

See national results from 2025
Community Mental Health survey promotion

ELFT uses service user feedback from the Community Mental Health Survey (alongside other methods such as complaints and feedback from other patient and carer surveys) to drive Trust‑wide and local service improvements.

Last year, service users who answered the survey told us that while their overall experience was positive, some areas needed improvement.

You said: We did:
Discussions of side effects of medication were limited We are improving access to medicines information through digital QR codes and increased community pharmacist input
Family members and carers were not always involved as much as you would like Staff are completing refresher training on involving carers, and across the Trust, there is ongoing work around information sharing and strengthening support for carers
Wanting more opportunities to give feedback on your care Teams have expanded collection methods through SMS messages, Dialog+ and tailored patient and carer surveys on an going basis

Your participation in 2026 will help us continue to monitor quality and drive further improvements.

If you received mental health care from our trust during April or May 2026, you could be randomly selected to take part in the survey. You will receive an invitation letter explaining how to complete the survey online or on your phone. If you prefer to complete the survey on paper, a paper questionnaire will be sent in a later mailing. You will also receive information on how to complete the survey in a different language and accessible formats such as Easy Read, BSL, braille, or large print.

The survey is confidential, carried out by the Care Quality Commission and a dedicated Survey Coordination Centre at Picker. Your responses are not shared with our staff, so they will not see your answers. Taking part in the survey will not affect your care or treatment. The NHS Community Mental Health Survey has Section 251 (NHS Act 2006) approval to process contact details. 

The results will be published in Spring 2027 and will be used to assess Community Mental Health Trusts in England. What we learn will enable us to identify key priorities, aiding our mission to provide the very best care for you and our community.

If you receive an invitation, please take a few minutes to share your experience. Every voice is valued, whether contact with our services was regular or minimal. If you need help completing the survey, please call 01246 856263.

For more information about the survey, please visit cqc.org.uk/cmhsurvey.

Who is asked

People aged 16 and over who have used NHS community mental health services during April and May 2026. Includes:

  • Adults using community mental health teams
  • Older adults’ mental health services
  • Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services

Opt‑out details

Participation is voluntary. Service users can: 

  • Opt out of their details being shared for the survey
  • Choose not to take part or skip questions
  • Opt‑out is done by contacting the local trust or survey contractor, usually by the end of May 2026
  • Opting out does not affect care in any way

Why the survey is done

  • To understand people’s experiences of community mental health care
  • For ELFT to make changes based on what you/service users tell us 
  • Results are used by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to monitor service quality and regulation

What the survey covers

The survey asks about experiences across the care pathway, including:

  • Access to services and waiting times
  • Support while waiting for care
  • Being listened to and involved in decisions
  • Care planning and reviews
  • Medication information and side effects
  • Crisis support and knowing who to contact
  • Respect, dignity and compassion
  • Support for wider needs (physical health, work, social support)
  • Involvement and support for family or carers

Question types

Typical questions include:

  • Yes / No
  • Frequency scales (e.g. always, sometimes, never)
  • Rating scales (e.g. 0–10 overall experience)
  • Includes a small number of free‑text questions to provide comments about care

Survey timeline

  • Sampling period is between April and May 2026 (selected patients who used a service during this period)
  • Survey invitations are issued shortly after the sampling period
  • Responses are collected between August and November 2026
  • Results are published in March 2027