A Worcestershire mental health service has received top ratings in all standards following a recent review.

The ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) service, designed for patients experiencing severe mental health issues across the county, has been commended for excellence in all four standards in a recent evaluation.

The review was conducted by the Electroconvulsive Therapy Accreditation Service (ECTAS), an external body affiliated with The Royal College of Psychiatrists, with ECT receiving a 100 per cent compliance rating.

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This full-spectrum assessment analysed safety protocols, patient experiences, and day-to-day procedures.

Patient interviews played a crucial role in forming the final results, which concluded with the recommendation that the service's accomplishments should be emulated by other clinics.

This glowing endorsement marks the first time a service in Worcestershire has achieved such high rankings in all four standards.

ECT lead practitioner, Kay Fisher, said: "To achieve all four has never been done in Worcestershire before and is also an uncommon achievement within the ECTAS network as a whole, so I am absolutely over the moon, as is the rest of the team".

Ms Fisher, a Barry Reynolds Award recipient, additionally noted the central role of patient feedback, saying: "Receiving such an honour feels very heart-warming and was a really nice way to end the year."

ECT, often employed when medication is ineffective, particularly targets severe depression, and where the patient's quality of life is negatively impacting.

Led by specialist anaesthetists and psychiatrists, the service is notable for its commitment to tailoring procedures around the needs of every individual patient.

The previous year, the dedicated service reaped recognition in the form of a patient experience award from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

The Associate Director of Specialist Mental Health and Learning Disability Services, Gemma Diss, said that it was "fantastic to see the commitment and all of the hard work the team has done to achieve this being recognised."

The unprecedented high ratings echoed Ms Diss's belief that the service delivers "excellent standards of care for mental health services in our local community."