Star Wards

How to join

It’s very exciting that mental health wards across the spectrum from acute admission through specialist services to secure units are enthusiastic members. If yours is an NHS ward, all you need to do for your ward to join is to click on the link below, fill in the form and email it to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Star Wards' joining form

Membership is free for all NHS wards, thanks to generous support from charitable trusts and the Department of Health. We’ve recently introduced a £500 a year membership fee for private sector wards (including those with mainly or solely NHS funded patients) to enable us to develop new resources. Discounts are available for hospitals with more than 3 wards! So if yours is a private ward, please fill in and email the form (via links above) and we'll send you an invoice.

We look forward to welcoming you to the dynamic, generous Star Wards’ community!

Thanks!!

love marion xx

“From around the UK, there is now plenty of evidence that services who have adopted the Star Wards initiative have significantly made a difference to the service users’ experience and influenced their vitality, well being and steps to recovery. There have also been extraordinary changes in the morale and job satisfaction of acute care staff, who have seized the opportunity to be open minded, creative and innovative.”

Malcolm Rae, joint national lead for acute care

Wards find that Star Wards:

• is a really helpful framework for recognising, celebrating and structuring their existing good practice
• is energising and enjoyable. “It’s about doing things differently, not about doing more things.” Having said that (or having quoted the person that said that), wards invariably find that staff want to introduce new activities and practices which enhance patient experiences and relationships.
• helps them convince management to give them more money for patient activities
• is a great way of strengthening relationships between staff, patients, carers, and between nursing and other staff
• connects them up with wards around the country (and overseas – we even have members in New Zealand!) to share experiences, triumphs, frustrations, solutions….
• Provides motivation and validation through (non-competitive!) awards’ schemes for staff and ward

Slightly more formally, a recent survey of members which found that benefits of taking part have included:

• Increased activities (88%)
• Improved atmosphere (85%)
• Increased patient satisfaction (83%)
• Increased staff:patient contact (82%)
• Improved team working (74%)
• Improved ward environment (72%)
• Decrease in violence (63%)

And we were equally delighted to read comments such as:

"A massive impact, activities to meet individual needs 7 days a week."

"Happier staff, less incidents,  happier patients, community feel to the ward."

"Better staff dynamics. A happier more optimistic environment for all."

"Staff feeling that they are actually doing the work that they trained to do"

Membership is free for all NHS wards, thanks to generous support from charitable trusts and the Department of Health. We’ve recently introduced a £500 a year membership fee for private sector wards (including those with mainly or solely NHS funded patients) to enable us to develop new resources. Discounts are available for hospitals with more than 3 wards!

We look forward to welcoming you to the dynamic, generous Star Wards’ community!