Two patient involvement initiatives at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) achieved have national recognition.

The trust, which provides community health, mental health and learning disabilities services to Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland, gained the recognition in the annual Patient Experience Network (PEN) Awards last week.

The first initiative, Recovery and Collaborative Care Planning Cafés, were runners up in the 'Strengthening the Foundation' award category.

The Cafés are a shared space for patients, carers, health professionals and partners to come together to have collaborative conversations around care planning and recovery. They were developed alongside patients who come to the sessions and share their lived experience of recovery and why it matters to them.

The award winners were revealed in a virtual ceremony, following a presentation to the judges which was delivered alongside LPT service users.

One of the Recovery Café attendees said: "No words can express how I feel about the Recovery College and Café helping me. I joined shortly after I left a long therapy session with a women's program. I live alone and have been shielding, I didn't know what to do, yet I found the Recovery College/Café and it's changed me, helped me and I feel they're on my side.

"I've found an empowerment I never thought I had, yet I also know they are supporting me on my very low days, and that I can be open and honest about that."

A second patient involvement initiative - the Mental Health and Wellbeing Workbook - made the 'Support for Caregivers' award category. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Workbook was co-produced in response to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and provides clear support, advice and activities for carers, friends, family members, LPT service users and the public.

Alison Kirk, head of patient experience and involvement at LPT, said: "Both of these two fantastic initiatives demonstrate how, through working in a co-productive way with our service users and carers, we can jointly create tools and support which can make a real difference.

"The successful element of both initiatives is partnership, bringing lived experience alongside quality improvement to deliver on what really matters to service users and carers. Thank you to all our wonderful service users and carers for working alongside us."

Mark Farmer, chair of LPT's People Council, said: "I am thrilled that LPT's commitment to co-production with patients and carers is being recognised. The huge amount of support by provided the Trust's engagement and involvement team and other staff across LPT means that patients and carers are really beginning to shape the delivery of services.

"The two projects shortlisted showcase how LPT has worked together to provide services which benefit patients and carers across LLR. They have been particularly important services during the pandemic and have been a real help to many."

To find out more about LPT's patient involvement activities, click on the link here.