Published on: 27 October 2025
A team of Occupational Therapists at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are changing the way care is planned for patients in acute mental health inpatient services, thanks to a new framework that puts personal goals at the centre of recovery.
A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Open Quality outlines how the Trust introduced the Goal-Directed Care Planning (GDCP) approach across three hospital wards. The framework helps occupational therapists work with patients to identify goals that matter to them – such as returning home, regaining independence or preparing to go back to work, and then build care plans around those goals.
Before the project began, only 27% of care plans included clear, personal goals. That figure increased to over 53% during the project and reached 70% after implementation. Patients and their families were more involved in planning care, and occupational therapists reported feeling more confident and supported in their roles.
Joshua Ige, Divisional Lead Occupational Therapist at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, who led on the research project, said: “This work is a major step forward in how we support people in our inpatient services to make care more personal. Through creating care plans that are more personal and goal-driven, we’re not only improving the quality of care. We’re also helping patients to feel seen, heard and actively involved in their recovery.
“It’s a model that puts Derbyshire Healthcare on the map for innovation in mental health care, and it’s already making a real difference to how patients experience their time in hospital and how quickly they can move forward.”
The study also found that care plans became easier to understand and more focused on individual needs. This shift towards person-centred care is helping patients feel more respected and engaged in their recovery, while enabling staff to deliver care that is more effective and meaningful.
The full study is available via the BMJ Open Quality website.
