Located on Radcliffe Park Crescent, Cygnet Lodge Salford is a high support inpatient rehabilitation (level 2) service for women. The service supports 24 women requiring mental health care.
The new Social Hub is part of a wider initiative across Cygnet Health and Cygnet Social Care services, where unused clinical spaces have been transformed into welcoming, non-clinical environments. Featuring arcade games, sensory lighting, a pool table, Pac-Man, a Nintendo Switch and carefully chosen décor, the hub provides a safe and relaxing space away from the wards where patients can unwind and socialise together.
Social Hubs were developed in direct response to patient feedback, with service users expressing a desire for calm spaces to wind down and socialise together. Each hub is co-produced, designed and installed collaboratively by patients and staff.
Experts by Experience – individuals with lived experience of inpatient mental health services – work alongside service users and hospital teams to identify and select features for each space. These can range from gaming suites and arcade machines to aromatherapy diffusers, bean bags, sensory lighting and even recording studio equipment.
Hospital Manager Angie Hobson welcomed the opening of the new space at Cygnet Lodge Salford. She said: “The new room feels warm, welcoming and a mixture of both cosy and fun, and all the ladies love it. From mood boards, to choosing items, to designing the graffiti wall, it’s a great co-produced area where patients and staff can all spend time together.
“The new games, Pac-Man and the Switch, have already been put to good use. The new Social Hub has completely transformed the space and created a warm, welcoming environment where patients can connect, relax and rebuild confidence outside of the clinical setting.
“I have no doubt it will have a positive impact on people’s wellbeing, encouraging social interaction, independence and a real sense of community. It’s also incredibly uplifting for staff, providing a space that promotes meaningful engagement with the individuals in our care. It’s an environment where both patients and staff can truly thrive, and I’m excited to see the positive difference it makes in the weeks and months ahead.”
The Social Hub initiative has already received national recognition, winning a Design in Mental Health Award and being shortlisted for HSJ Awards.
The hub at Cygnet Lodge Salford was officially opened by Expert by Experience Mia McGowan, a former patient of Cygnet Hospital Sheffield. She was on the acute ward for five months and now uses her experience to talk with current service users and share their feedback with senior staff so that necessary changes can be made to ensure Cygnet Health Care services provide the best care to those who need it.
She said: “Well done and big thank you to the whole team at Cygnet Lodge Salford. They did an incredible job transforming the space, what a difference it has made already the service users are absolutely loving it.”
Angie added: “The new Social Hub at Cygnet Lodge Salford represents a further step in Cygnet Health Care’s commitment to co-produced, recovery-focused environments that put the voices and experiences of patients at the heart of service design.”