Cygnet Acer Clinic is a 28 bed service near Chesterfield which provides assessment, treatment and rehabilitation for women with personality disorder and complex needs or acute mental health needs.
Acer Upper, which recently celebrated its first anniversary with a garden party, is a 14 bed acute mental health service for women. The service provides a safe and stabilising environment for individuals who are experiencing an acute episode of mental illness and require an emergency admission.
The rating follows an unannounced focused inspection of the ward on 21st-22nd and 28th June 2022 which resulted in a ‘Good’ rating in all five key lines of enquiry ‘Safe’, ‘Effective’, ‘Caring’, ‘Responsive’ and ‘Well Led’.
The full report (published on the CQC website) highlights many areas of positive practice, including:
- The environment of the ward was calm and had been designed using muted colours with murals on the ward that also emphasised a peaceful and calming atmosphere.
- Managers at all levels at the hospital had the right skills and abilities to run a service that provided high quality- sustainable care.
- Staff were discreet, respectful, and responsive when caring for service users. Service users were truly respected and valued as individuals and were empowered as partners in their care.
- Staff provided ‘WOW’ packs to service users on arrival this included spare clothes and shoes, toiletries including feminine hygiene products.
- The service utilised a calming suite to support de-escalation for service users in distress and had chosen not to have a seclusion room.
- Staff prioritised section 17 leave for service users so they could to have access to activities in the community.
- Staff helped service users live healthier lives by supporting them to take part in healthy eating programmes, smoking cessation or giving general advice.
- Service users were active partners in their care. The inspection team observed care and treatment reviews and saw how individual preferences and needs were always reflected in how care is delivered.
- Staff felt respected, supported and valued they spoke highly of the management team. They said the service promoted and embraced equality and diversity in daily work.
Kim Mullen, Hospital Manager, said, “I could not be more proud of the fantastic staff team here at Cygnet Acer Clinic. To achieve Good in all domains at our first inspection of the new acute service is a significant achievement and testament to the dedication of the team at Acer to delivering high quality, patient-centred care. We are committed to continuing to provide an excellent therapeutic environment for our service users.”