From checklists to more personalised care
Date added: 17 February 2026
Last updated: 17 February 2026
Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust has made a major shift in how they assess and respond to risk, putting patients’ voices and lived experience at the heart of every safety decision.
In a move designed to improve care, prevent harm, and deliver efficient, more compassionate support, the trust has moved away from relying on static checklists or fixed scoring systems, and is instead working with patients to explore their individual circumstances, triggers, strengths, and needs.
The change is already helping staff respond faster and more effectively when a person’s situation changes, ensuring that they receive the right help at the right time.
After listening to feedback from patients, the trust has taken steps to actively involve patients in shaping their own safety and care plans, making discussions more open, meaningful and focused on what matters to them. The goal is safer experiences, clearer communication and more joined up support during periods of distress or crisis.
The new approach also streamlines clinical records by bringing risk assessment and care planning together. This reduces duplication, improves clarity and ensures staff can quickly find vital information when they need it.
Stephen Marshall, who lost his daughter to suicide, and joined the Clinical Risk Assessment and Management (CRAM) task team as a patient safety partner, to shape the new approach said:
“After losing my daughter, I saw how risk can be misunderstood, especially when it’s reduced to boxes and scores. The new approach creates space for staff and patients to talk about what is really happening in someone’s life. Risk isn’t fixed, and this model recognises that. It’s a more honest and collaborative way of working and a safer one.”
Lorraine Mitchell, Clinical Risk and Suicide Prevention Lead for Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust said:
“Understanding the person we’re caring for is central to this work. When we’re assessing someone’s risk of harming themselves or others, we get to know what’s important to them and use a person-centred and trauma-informed approach to help patients feel safe to share their experience.”
The new approach is expected to strengthen early identification of risk, improve continuity of care between services, and support more open, two-way conversations about safety between staff and the people they support.
