- Independent mental health service
Cygnet Churchill
Report from 7 November 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings - Acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 19 March to 13 June 2024. At the time of our onsite assessment, Cygnet Churchill was a 57-bed inpatient mental health hospital for men. It had 1 ward providing acute mental health services for adults of working age (Juniper Ward), and 3 wards providing long stay rehabilitation services. We only assessed Juniper Ward during this assessment. A second acute mental health ward, Palm Court, was due to open in August 2024 following the closure of 1 of the rehabilitation wards during the assessment. Palm Court did not form part of this assessment. This was a responsive assessment following concerns we had received related to Juniper Ward. These included concerns related to staff treatment of patients, staffing levels and significant changes to the staffing team, and 2 serious incidents that had occurred on the ward. This assessment was a combination of onsite and offsite assessment. Cygnet Churchill was last inspected in October 2022 when it was rated good overall, with requires improvement (RI) under safe. This assessment of the acute mental health ward was rated as RI overall with RI in safe and well-led. During this assessment we found 5 breaches of the legal regulations in relation to safe care and treatment, premises and equipment, dignity and respect, complaints, and governance. However, the ward had made improvements in relation to breaches from the previous inspection. Staff worked well with partner agencies to provide continuity of care between services, patients could provide feedback about the ward, staff felt supported by managers and reported a positive culture of learning and development, and there had been improvements in staffing. We will ask the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.