Cygnet Acer Clinic in Chesterfield is to exit special measures and has been rated as good following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The independent mental health service which provides care and treatment to female patients who have a diagnosis of emotionally unstable personality disorder and present with challenging behaviours, was rated as inadequate and placed into special measures in August 2019.
Following this inspection, CQC has continued to monitor the service closely through inspection and engagement meetings and has found sustained improvement in the safety of the service.
When inspectors returned in April 2021, they found that significant improvements had been made and the service can now exit special measures. The service is now rated as good overall and good for being safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
Dr Kevin Cleary, CQC deputy chief inspector of hospitals and lead for mental health, said:
“When inspectors re-visited Cygnet Acer Clinic, it was clear that service leaders had made significant progress to improve the care for the vulnerable women who use this service.
“Since the previous inspection, the provider has made a lot of important changes for the women using this service. This included undertaking a ligature risk assessment of the whole hospital to ensure people are at less risk of harming themselves. Staff now use a ‘ligature hot spot tool’ to identify any new potential risk points.
“Managers at all levels have the right skills and abilities to run a service providing high-quality sustainable care. Both staff and patients told inspectors that leaders are visible and accessible and we saw patients being able to discuss matters with them.
“We are pleased that the hard work and strong commitment from all staff to deliver improved services has resulted in higher standards of care for people. The provider must now ensure these positive changes are sustained.”
There were many areas of improvement found on inspection, including:
- Staff developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. They provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of the patients cared for in a mental health rehabilitation ward and in line with national guidance about best practice.
- The ward teams included or had access to the full range of specialists required to meet the needs of patients on the wards. Managers ensured that these staff received training, supervision and appraisal.
- Staff planned and managed discharge well and liaised well with services that would provide aftercare. As a result, discharge was rarely delayed for anything other than a clinical reason.
- Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and understood the individual needs of patients.
- The service worked to a model of mental health rehabilitation specific for patients with emotionally unstable personality disorders. It was well led, and the governance processes ensured that ward procedures ran smoothly.
Cygnet Healthcare is the organisation that runs Cygnet Acer Clinic as well as other healthcare facilities across England. CQC has also recently carried out a review of how well-led Cygnet Healthcare is as an overall healthcare provider.
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