Meet the Team
Matthew Ledger - Service Manager
Matthew is a dual-qualified care practitioner and experienced care professional within both health and social care. He began his journey working with people with learning disabilities in 1992 and later qualified from Manchester & Salford Universities with both the RNLD and DipSW. Matthew also holds a Pg Certificate in Management which has helped to shape his management style and leadership skills.
Matthew joined Cygnet in 2021 and is the CQC registered manager for Cygnet Adarna House.
As the Service Manager at Cygnet Adarna House, Matthew leads an MDT, all of whom play an essential part in the supportive and person-centred, high quality service that Cygnet Adarna House offers. Matthew is a passionate, holistic, empowering and person-centred practitioner. He takes pride in supporting and enabling service users to help them follow their chosen life paths on their journey to more independence and to reach their individual potential and goals.
Dr Magdalena du Toit - Responsible Clinician
Dr du Toit is a psychiatrist who trained in Yorkshire within general adult psychiatry with a special interest of liaison or hospital psychiatry. She has been working within an autism and male general psychiatric rehabilitation service since 2020. She holds CCT registration in General Adult Psychiatry with the Royal College of Psychiatry since 2015. She completed a diploma in Clinical Psychiatry from Leeds and her medical qualification at University of the Free State, R.S.A, achieving the final year Psychiatry prize. She has an interest in psychosis and was a named co-author in a study exploring Associations of psychotic symptom dimensions with clinical and developmental variables in twin and general clinical samples (Main author Alistair Cardno. British Journal of Psychiatry 2024).
Dr du Toit joined Cygnet in 2016 and is the Responsible Clinician for Cygnet Adarna House. As Responsible Clinician at Adarna House, Dr du Toit has full time responsibility for leading the MDT and playing her part in providing evidence based, person-centred and high quality supportive care offered at Adarna House. Dr du Toit has experience of working with autistic persons, adult with complex mental health needs and mild intellectual difficulty. The small service is specialised to provide a low stimulus environment which enables service users to step down from medium and low secure services. Dr du Toit has experience in liaising with the Ministry of Justice, local and home areas MAPPA and Public Protection unit in Bradford.
Dr du Toit values a collaborative approach to patient care. She is part of a whole team approach to delivering holistic, evidence based care supporting individuals towards independent or supported living. During their time at Adarna House the team helps service users to focus on recovery through activity, active engagement in appropriate psychological and occupational therapies and appropriate medication treatment options. Adarna House promotes consistent therapeutic relationships and aim to provide seamless continuity of care from referral to active discharge planning.
Ella-Louise Taylor - Occupational Therapist
Ella-Louise is a Specialist Occupational Therapist and Sensory Integration Practitioner with over six years' experience working with adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Learning Disabilities and mental illness in the community and inpatient settings. She brings a holistic approach to Autism and sensory assessments and is trained in using various standardised assessments of sensory processing, Autism diagnostic assessments and using various models and approaches to Occupational Therapy.
Ella-Louise is experienced in problem solving and delivering person centred interventions to support clients to meet their goals and improve well-being. This could look like sensory based coping strategies, adaptations to person or environment, providing structure and routine, coaching, remotivation and education as well as overall case formulation looking at clients as a whole person, not the challenges that have led to their contact with services.
Ella-Louise is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council and is a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. After joining Cygnet at the end of 2021, she was part of the team who established Adarna House as a service.
Caitlin Bower - Counselling Psychologist
Caitlin is a counselling psychologist who is in her final year of doctorate studies. Caitlin has seven years’ experience working in secure services, especially with drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Caitlin brings her specialist knowledge and experience of trauma informed care to Cygnet Adarna House. Caitlin has extensive knowledge of mental health conditions, relationship difficulties, personality disorders and using psychoeducation with individuals on the autism spectrum.
As a counselling psychologist Caitlin brings a humanistic and philosophical approach which underpins to her work. Caitlin uses various models and cognitive behavioural therapies to support our service users at Cygnet Adarna House, all approaches are person centred and tailors treatment to the individual’s needs.
George Wright - Speech & Language Therapist
George completed his BSc in Speech and Language Therapy in 2024. In the same year, he began working at Cygnet Adarna House and Gledholt, gaining experience in learning disability and autism services within mental health rehabilitation settings. As a newly qualified practitioner, George is supported by a team of speech and language therapists with specialist experience in both communication and dysphagia, with access to this support for more complex cases. George has undertaken training in a number of autism and LD-specific intervention approaches, including Talking Mats, Talkabout Social Skills, Comic Strip Conversations, and Social Stories.
George passionately believes in the key role of Speech and Language Therapy in proving high quality, person-centred mental health care. Championing good communication practice means that patients are able to participate actively and meaningfully in their care and discharge planning. George supports the residents at Cygnet Adarna House directly (through assessment and therapy) and indirectly (through staff training, communication guidance, and facilitating an inclusive communication environment).
Mohammed Waseem - Clinical Team Leader
Waseem’s interest in Mental health began in 2007, while studying BSc Human Biology and working as a part-time mental health support worker. He is a Registered Mental health Nurse who joined Cygnet Hospital Bierley in 2017 following the completion of his BSc Honours Nursing degree at the University of Huddersfield. Waseem has over 15 years’ experience of working with adults who have a range of mental health support needs, including mental illness, personality disorder, eating disorders, brain injuries and learning disabilities.
Waseem came to Cygnet Hospital Bierley as a student nurse and since worked in various departments. He has progressed from RMN to Clinical Team Leader, following his move to Cygnet Adarna House in 2022.
Waseem has completed specialist training in caring for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is enthusiastic about delivering person-centred care and supporting service users in their recovery journey, within a therapeutic environment which is conducive to their needs. He is also a keen and supportive team player who will go above and beyond to support staff who want to achieve and progress in their career goals.
Charlotte Blyth - HR Administrator
Charlotte joined Cygnet in 2022 initially working at Cygnet Hospital Wyke before transferring to Cygnet Adarna House.
Charlotte is a HR Administrator and supports the team in relation to all administration duties, ensuring reports are completed and timescales are met, together with making sure all staff training is kept up to date and monitored and dealing with day to day administration duties. Charlotte also plays a part in attending meetings to undertake to take minutes of meetings, for both internal and teams meetings.
