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 strategy

Our mission is what we set out to do every day
We deliver brilliant care through brilliant people.

Our vision is where we want to be in the future
To provide outstanding care and to work in partnership to deliver this in the right place, for every service user, every time.

How we’re achieving this

We focus on three strategic ambitions:

1. People We Care For
Delivering outstanding, person-centred care that is safe, high quality and easy to access.
This includes:

• Improving access to quality care
• Creating safer and better experiences in our wards
• Actively involving service users and carers in shaping services

2. People Who Work For Us
Being a great place to work, with engaged and capable staff living our values.
This includes:

• Creating a culture where people feel safe, equal and can thrive
• Building a sustainable workforce for the future
• Developing empowered, inclusive leadership

3. Partners We Work With
Leading in partnership to deliver the right care and reduce health inequalities.
This includes:

• Bringing partners together for community-based care
• Working together to deliver care in the right place at the right time
• Addressing key issues impacting our communities

Our Strategic Enablers
Supporting these ambitions are three enablers:

Technology and Data: Using digital tools and accurate data to transform care and free up staff time
Efficiency and Sustainability: Achieving financial sustainability, exceeding NHS Greener programme goals, and transforming how we work
Our Environments: Creating safe, fit-for-purpose clinical spaces and maximising office and estate use

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.