MENTAL health patients in Waveney are getting good support, says a new survey.Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Trust is in the top fifth of trusts for giving patients information about finding work, and came top in the country for giving patients information about benefits and local support groups.

MENTAL health patients in Waveney are getting good support, says a new survey.

Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Trust is in the top fifth of trusts for giving patients information about finding work, and came top in the country for giving patients information about benefits and local support groups.

Four-fifths of people were offered advice about benefits, 64pc about local support groups and 63pc about finding work. There were other areas where local services scored well, including being treat-ed with respect and dignity by the community psychiatric nurse.

But the trust scored worst in the country for giving people information about possible side-effects of new medications, and in the worst fifth for the number of people who said their talking therapy was useful. Only 40pc of people said they had been told about possible side-effects; 58pc of people found the therapy useful.

The results are from a survey of 239 local people who receive community mental health services, carried out by the Healthcare Commission.

A spokesman for the trust said: “The two low scores did surprise us, but we have developed a pharmacy website to better inform staff and service users about drugs and their side-effects, and are looking to increase, with our commissioners, the availability of psychological therapies.”