The CPD-accredited event was attended by over 120 clinicians, healthcare professionals and NHS commissioners working within inpatient mental health services.
Explaining the principal aim of the conference, Dr Jon Van Niekerk, Cygnet’s Group Medical Director, said: “The revolving door phenomenon is one of the most pressing issues we face in mental health care. Too often, individuals are discharged without the right support in place, only to return weeks or months later in crisis. That’s not recovery, it’s survival. And we have to do better.
“That’s why this conference matters. The conversations we’ll have are focused on what really makes a difference: therapeutic stays, safe discharges, and sustainable community support. It’s about shifting the focus from managing risk to sustaining hope.”
Professor Asif Zia, Chief Medical Officer at Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and a nationally respected voice in mental health improvement delivered the opening plenary before chairing the first session: ‘Bridge the Gap – Safer Discharges in Acute Mental Health Care’.
Also contributing to the first session in the morning were Callum Boyd, Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and Nichola Crust, Senior Safety Investigator, Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB).
The second morning session explored the Mental Health Act Reform Bill and the power of co-producing care with purpose. The session was chaired by Raf Hamaizia, Expert by Experience Lead at Cygnet, who was joined by a panel including Dr Anthony Salla, Research Fellow at City St George’s University, Andy Johnston, Clinical Director of AndyJohnstonAssociates, and Professor Claire Henderson, Professor of Public Mental Health at the Health Service and Population Research Department, King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry.
This session also included a presentation from Cygnet Hospital Bierley’s Kate Gorse-Brightmore and Vicki called ‘Making it Real: Co-Producing Mental Health Care with Purpose.’
The final session before lunch was ‘Beyond the Door: Rethinking Admission as a Tool for Recovery’. Chaired by Dr Jon Van Niekerk, the session included contributions on Enhanced Observation Protocol from Cygnet Hospital Hexham’s Dr Gbolagade Akintomide, Activity PRN from Cygnet Hospital Maidstone’s Head of Occupational Therapy, Neil Barker. There was also a presentation from Thomas Beasley, Expert by Experience, on the success of Cygnet’s Social Hub project.
After lunch was perhaps the most emotionally resonant session of the day – ‘Staying Safe from Suicide’. This session looked at not just how to reduce risk, but how to offer connection, compassion and safety to people in their most vulnerable moments. The session was chaired once again by Dr Jon Van Niekerk and included valuable contributions from Phillip Pirie, Suicide Prevention Campaigner, who made a powerful argument against the use of check list assessments for suicide risks, and Richard Webb, Deputy Director of Clinical Governance, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.
The final session of the conference focused on the future of community care and how we build services that truly meet people where they are. The session was chaired by Andy Bell, Chief Executive for the Centre for Mental Health. The session included Dr Susan Mizen, Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy at The University of Exeter, Nicole Warriner, Research Assistant at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust, Sabrina Serio-Joseph, Research Assistant at the Complex Trauma and Resilience Research Unit, and George Garrad, Director of Business Development and Strategy Look Ahead. They brought together thought leadership, frontline innovation and a call to action.
The closing words of the conference were delivered by Sian Jarvis, Non-Executive Director at Cygnet, who said: “We set out this morning with a clear ambition: to confront the reality of revolving door care in acute mental health – and to move beyond it. And we’ve done that with courage.
“Together, we explored what it means to discharge people safely and with dignity. We challenged how the system responds to risk – and asked how it might instead respond to people.
“So let’s hold onto the conversations we’ve had. Let’s be bolder in challenging what doesn’t work. Let’s be more generous in sharing what does. And above all, let’s keep hope at the heart of everything we do.”
