Located on Wellington Street in Matlock, Cygnet Views is a nine-bed Cygnet Health Care service for women with learning disabilities.
The Triangle of Care is a nationally recognised scheme designed to promote safety, recovery and wellbeing by ensuring unpaid carers are included, informed and supported throughout a person’s care journey. Developed by carers and delivered by the Carers Trust, the programme recognises healthcare providers that demonstrate commitment to six key ‘carers included’ standards.
During the assessment process, the service was recognised for routinely identifying carers during admission, maintaining clear consent and information-sharing processes, and ensuring carers are actively involved in ward rounds and discharge planning.
Assessors found strong evidence that carers are identified early and their views incorporated into care planning and decision-making. Families are invited to contribute throughout the care pathway and receive updates via phone or email where they are unable to attend meetings in person.
The report also highlighted the service’s commitment to improving staff awareness of carer engagement. Training has been introduced across the team, including sessions delivered by a lived-experience carer, helping staff better understand the emotional experiences of families and reflect on their own communication and practice.
Cygnet Views has also been developing a wider team approach to carer lead roles to help embed a strong ‘think carer’ culture throughout the service.
Carers are provided with welcome information packs and written guidance explaining the service, available support and how they can remain involved. Assessors also highlighted strong examples of carers contributing to discharge planning discussions, particularly around risk management, previous experiences and realistic support arrangements following discharge.
The service gathers feedback through surveys, meetings and family events, while continuing to develop ways to consistently capture and act on carers’ views as part of its ongoing improvement plans.
Mary Patel, Triangle of Care Programme Lead at Carers Trust, said:
“This Triangle of Care Star Award represents a hugely positive step forward in strengthening partnerships with carers – so family and friends who look after someone are involved in care planning, and have their important role recognised. Congratulations to all the staff and carers at Cygnet Views for this achievement, and we encourage everyone involved – from frontline staff to senior leads – to continue building on this foundation of good practice.”
Hospital manager Kelly Shortt said: “Achieving this accreditation marks an important milestone for Cygnet Views and reflects the service’s commitment to ensuring carers are valued partners in care and fully supported throughout the treatment journey.
“We are delighted to have been awarded this and it recognises the progress our team has made in strengthening how we work alongside carers and families. We know carers play a vital role in the wellbeing and recovery of the people we support, and we are committed to ensuring they feel listened to, informed and involved at every stage.”