The regulator’s report on Cygnet Lodge Brighouse praised the high standard of care offered at the service and highlighted many areas of positive practice. The service, on Rastrick Common, is part of the Cygnet Health Care division, and offers a high dependency rehabilitation service for men.
The inspection, which took place in November 2023, looked at all key lines of enquiry; Safe, Caring, Responsive, Well Led and Effective. The service was awarded a Good rating across all domains.
As part of the inspection, the CQC spoke with service users and their loved ones, as well as staff. Feedback from patients about the care they received was consistently good and patients said that staff were “kind and supportive and went out of their way to meet their needs and treat them well.” Families and carers were also positive about their experiences of the hospital. They said that staff liaised with them and included them where it was necessary and that when they visited staff were “friendly and helpful.”
The report read: “The service provided safe care. The ward environments were safe and clean.
“The wards had enough nurses and doctors and staff assessed and managed risk well. They minimised the use of restrictive practices, managed medicines safely and followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.
“The ward teams included a full range of specialists required to meet the needs of patients on the wards. Managers ensured that these staff received training, supervision and appraisal. The ward staff worked well together as a multidisciplinary team and with those outside the ward who would have a role in providing aftercare.”
Praising the caring nature of the service, inspectors said staff treated patients with compassion, kindness and respect. They said: “We observed a warm, supporting and caring attitude from all staff towards patients. Staff were approachable and available and appeared to have a good rapport with patients.
“This created a helpful community in which people could spend time and recover.”
Highlighting how staff understood and respected the individual needs of each patient, the CQC inspection team said: “Staff made sure patients understood their care and treatment and found ways to communicate with patients who had communication difficulties.
“Staff involved patients in decisions about the service, when appropriate. We observed a daily meeting which gave all patients the opportunity to discuss what activities they wanted to take part in that day. We also saw examples of community meetings that took place on a regular basis which gave patients the opportunity to discuss and make suggestions about the way the hospital operated.”
Inspectors highlighted how staff made sure patients had access to opportunities for education and work, and supported patients when they needed it. They saw a number of initiatives that staff had arranged which would support patients to access and make use of the local community. These included volunteering at a local outdoor centre, museum visits, walking groups and picnics in the local parks.
Inspectors applauded the teamwork on display at the hospital and highlighted how staff from different disciplines worked together as a team to benefit patients. They said: “Staff supported each other to make sure patients had no gaps in their care. They had effective working relationships with staff from services providing care following a patient’s discharge.
“Staff held regular multidisciplinary meetings to discuss patients and improve their care. We observed these meetings and the team worked well together to ensure that they provided high quality care. It was clear from observations that the hospital took a collaborative approach to decision making, including the voice of the patient.”
Additionally, the leadership of the service was celebrated throughout the report, with inspectors saying the hospital had positive and proactive leadership which strived to achieve the best outcomes for patients and contributed to a culture of “openness and transparency”.
Hospital Manager Katie Smith said: “I am incredibly proud of our recent inspection outcome for Cygnet Lodge Brighouse from the CQC.
“This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our exceptional multi-disciplinary team and clinical staff who go above and beyond to provide high-quality care and support to our patients.
“We are lucky enough to have a full complement of staff across the hospital which no doubt has helped spark ideas and drive continuous improvements forward.
“We have made significant upgrades to the physical environment of the hospital over the last couple of years which in turn helps in the recovery for our service users and enables staff to work in a nicer environment.
“It is a true reflection of our commitment to improving the mental health outcomes to our service users. I am honoured to lead such a remarkable team.”
To read the full report please go to the CQC website.