Following an inspection by the healthcare regulator on 4 and 5 December, the 51-bed mental health hospital for men on London Street, has seen an uptick in its rating to ‘Good’, with the West Ward, its acute service, achieving this rating across all key areas; Safe, Effective, Caring, Well-Led and Responsive.
Since a previous inspection in May 2023, an improvement action plan was implemented at the Cygnet Health Care-service which including a change in leadership, injecting a multi-million pound investment in the hospital environment and embedding major improvements in staff training.
The latest report by the CQC highlighted significant improvements across all areas, including the quality of staffing.
The report read: “We observed good, caring interactions between staff and patients. Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and understood the individual needs of patients. We observed staff responding to patients calmly and sensitively. Staff were kind when dealing with a patient that was very agitated. Every time a patient knocked on the office door staff responded promptly.
“They actively involved patients and families and carers in care decisions. The service took a holistic approach to assessing, planning and delivering care and treatment to all people who use services.”
The regulator was impressed with Cygnet’s Expert by Experience (EbyEs) programme, whereby former patients work on the wards to ensure the voices of existing service users are heard and considered across the organisation. Last year, the company recruited 27 new EbyEs across the country and now has more than 50 who made more than 1,000 visits to its hospitals around the UK over the last 12 months.
Praising the “person-centred care” and culture at the hospital, the report added: “The service made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices. Staff planned patients’ discharge, collaboratively with each patient’s local service. Staff responded to the religious and cultural needs of patients.
“Senior staff commented that there was a culture of compassion within the staff team. The service have a proactive and positive culture of safety based on openness and honesty, in which concerns about safety were listened to, safety events were investigated and reported thoroughly, and lessons learned to continually identify and embed good practices.
“The service supported people to manage their health and wellbeing so they can maximise their independence, choice and control, live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.”
Highlighting the good leadership at the hospital, inspectors also noted that staff morale had significantly increased since the previous inspection in 2023 and said the hospital director was “approachable, supportive and engaged.”
A spokesperson for Cygnet Hospital Harrow said: “We have worked exceptionally hard at Cygnet Hospital Harrow to address previous challenges and improve the standard of care being delivered to our service users. We have been on a journey of improvement and it is pleasing to see this being recognised by the regulator.
“This report reflects the continuous focus, resilience and dedication of the Cygnet Hospital Harrow team to deliver compassionate, first class support to all of our service users. This success of being upgraded is testament to the teamwork, shared commitment to excellence and professionalism of colleagues across the service.
“It is especially pleasing that the warmth, kindness and empathy of staff across all roles was recognised by the inspection team, who also highlighted how we work in partnership with our patients to ensure they can regain control over the lives and look forward to a positive future.
“We will use this positive development as a foundation to continue implementing further positive changes to ensure service users get the care they deserve.”
Inspectors also commented on how the ward environments were safe, clean, well-maintained, bright, well-staffed and good practice was followed with respect to safeguarding.
They highlighted that the hospital had enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet patient needs.
To read the full report, go to cqc.org.uk/location/1-130486784