The QED works with inpatient and community services to assure and improve the quality of services treating people with eating disorders and their carers.
The Royal College’s accreditation programme involves assessment against some 200 standards categorised into eight sections; access and admission, environment and facilities, staff and training, care and treatment, information, consent and confidentiality, rights and safeguarding, discharge and finally, clinical governance.
Following a rigorous assessment process, the Royal College of Psychiatrists said Sunrise Ward, Cygnet Hospital Ealing fully met 93 per cent of standards for inpatient eating disorder services.
It awarded the hospital with a three-year accreditation for meeting a range of standards including:
- Providing a safe environment for staff and patients,
- Staff demonstrating compassion, dignity and respect, and
- Patients being offered excellent quality treatment which is based on national best practice.
As part of the accreditation review, QED assessors spoke with existing patients, carers and staff. Cygnet Hospital Ealing received the following comments from patients as part of the accreditation process:
- “We think the nursing team here are one of the best”
- “I felt welcomed by the nursing team”
- “I feel safe with staff”
- “The ward is welcoming and comfortable”
- “There was a member of staff with me during a difficult time which was really helpful. She knew what to do and she understood”
- “The assistant psychologist is amazing, I really want to give her credit. She really comes down to your level and makes you comfortable”
- “I am gaining back more with myself and I am trying to work on myself since being here”
Carer feedback was equally positive describing the ward as “friendly, kind and thoughtful staff especially through the Christmas period”.
Hospital Manager Olajumoke Adegoke said: “To receive this prestigious accreditation from the Royal College of Psychiatrists is a fantastic achievement for the hospital. Our entire team here have a lot to be proud of and we are always striving towards excellence and to deliver the highest standards of care to meet the needs of patients with eating disorders.
“Putting patients first is always at the heart of our culture here at Cygnet Hospital Ealing and this has been reflected in the comments in our QED report. The achievement reflects the fact our patients receive trusted and effective clinical care of the highest degree.
“Our compassionate and hard-working eating disorders team deserve to celebrate this recognition and I’d like to personally congratulate them for their constant commitment to patient-focused, quality care.”
The report read: “On the review day, there was a real sense that patients are led in an individualised and holistic manner and the team have also branched out into work around exercise addiction; further displaying their dedication to specialist care.
“Overall, the review team identified a lot of impressive work being done by the service.”
Assessors highlighted several points of good practice at the hospital.
They added: “The entire team at Sunrise Ward are pleasant and welcoming.
“The ward environment is lovely and bright, and there is a nice feel to the reception area. It was refreshing to see boards across the corridor such as allocation boards, ‘You said We did board’, and soft words board. The balcony is lovely and creates a unique environment for service users.”
Praising the quality of the staffing team, assessors wrote: “Care is highly individualised and tailored to each patient. There is a full team in place at the unit, which an impressive MDT. Agency use at the unit is only 18%.
“It is amazing to hear the service has permanent art/creative therapists. Staff were highly complementary about the level of support they receive and the culture of the team. Staff shared they all feel safe, and the training is brilliant, which they felt is a highlight of working for the unit.
“Patients shared that those with one-to-one observations really feel they are able to build rapport with the staff they are with.”
Sunrise Ward at Cygnet Hospital Ealing is a 14-bed service which provides a highly specialised eating disorder service for women, including those with extremely low BMIs. It focuses on supporting individuals to attain a healthy BMI and prepare for a return to home.