Our vision, values and strategy
We are Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust.
We provide a wide range of adult mental health and learning disability services to a population of 1.8 million people across Kent and Medway, as well as specialist services for adults in Sussex and Surrey.
Each year, we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and support more than 54,000 people in the community.
We are proud to employ over 3,600 staff from 66 nationalities, serving increasingly diverse communities across both rural and urban areas.
As part of the Kent and Medway Integrated Care System, we work in partnership with other health and care organisations to plan and deliver joined-up services that improve lives across the region.
In February 2022, we retained our ‘Good’ overall rating from the Care Quality Commission and were rated ‘Outstanding’ for being effective and caring.
We know that demand for mental health support continues to grow, and that the needs of our population and our workforce are changing. Mental illness is now the second-largest cause of disease burden in England, and for people with serious mental illness, two in three deaths are caused by preventable physical health conditions.
To continue meeting these challenges and delivering on our ambitions, we are working to deliver our three-year strategy (2023–2026), which sets out how we’ll improve outcomes, reduce inequalities, and provide compassionate, high-quality care for every person we support.
Our values
Our values define our trust's culture, direction, and purpose. We shaped these values together with our people, patient and partners. They shine a light on the path we need to take to make sure our communities thrive with the support of high-quality mental healthcare from our trust.
We are caring
This is where it all begins and where we make a real difference, for everyone. We're here to care, truly care. That means seeing each other, listening and knowing we're all valued.
We look after each other because happy people give the best care. Every win, big or small, matters - it's someone's progress. And even when things get tough, we'll always be kind, always listen and always respect.
We are inclusive
We can only deliver high-quality care by being inclusive in every way. Being inclusive means actively promoting diversity, respecting the knowledge, experience and skills we all bring to the table, and recognising and celebrating individual strengths.
We know that if we seek out and hear everyone's voices we will make the best decisions – not just for our people, but for our patients, their loved ones and wider partners too.
We are confident
Confidence is knowing you can speak up when something matters and knowing you will be heard, not judged. If we see something, we say something and we will be heard.
We believe in our skills, our knowledge and the amazing difference we are making as our work improves lives. We take pride in what we do, as individuals and as a team – doing well together for each other and our patients.
We are curious
Being curious is looking beyond the surface, asking 'why' and 'what if' to truly understand the needs of our patients, of each other and the challenges we face.
It makes us life long learners, open to new ideas and innovations to improve what we do. It empowers us to challenge how things are done to provide the best care possible.
Our strategy for 2025-2026
Our three-year strategy (2023–2026) continues to guide how we deliver on our vision and respond to the challenges facing mental health care. It sets out what we aim to achieve and how we work every day to make this happen.
Download our strategy to read it in full
