During her time at the hospital, Ms Foxcroft was given a tour of the facilities and had the opportunity to meet both staff and service users. She heard first-hand about the specialist support offered at the service, which provides a 19-bed high support inpatient rehabilitation (level 2) pathway for men.
She also spent time with the service’s Music Facilitator, Jack King. Jack has built a “pop up music studio” which he brings to Lewisham each week to work with service users, enabling them to express themselves through music, song, sound, and creativity. He explained to Ms Foxcroft the benefit music and the studio is bringing to those being cared for at the service.
Following her visit, Ms Foxcroft said: “Thank you so much to the team for welcoming me to Cygnet Lodge Lewisham.
“It was great to learn more about how they help their patients develop life skills and involve them in decision-making.
“I was also really impressed to see a strong focus on community integration and that patients are supported to access hobbies, volunteer work and education.”
Cygnet Lodge Lewisham focuses on pre-discharge planning for individuals who may have been in hospital for a long period of time or who are preparing for community life but require further support before moving into more independent living. The team supports people with a range of mental health difficulties, helping them to build confidence, develop daily living skills and engage in the community.
Service Manager at Cygnet Lodge Lewisham, Nnennaya Aitalegbe said: “It was a real privilege to welcome Vicky to our service. Engagement with local MPs is so important because it helps to raise awareness of the vital work our teams are doing in mental health rehabilitation, and the positive progress our service users are making every day.
“We are proud of the supportive and therapeutic environment we have created here at Cygnet Lodge Lewisham, and it was wonderful to be able to showcase this during the visit. The feedback we received from Vicky was really encouraging and has given our staff and service users a real boost.”