Cygnet Hospital Blackheath

Updated 20 December 2021

Cygnet Hospital Blackheath has two wards. Tyler Ward is a 14-bed psychiatric intensive care unit and Meridian Ward is a 16-bed low secure ward. Both wards provide care and treatment to men over the age of 18 years.

Cygnet Hospital Blackheath is registered to provide: Assessment or medical treatment for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983; Treatment of disease, disorder or injury There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection.

We have inspected Cygnet Hospital Blackheath three times since 2015. At our last focused inspection in June 2020 we found no regulatory breaches.

At the comprehensive inspection in April 2018, we found the following breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014:

Regulation 11 (need for consent) – medicines were not prescribed in accordance with law relating to consent to treatment under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Regulation 12 (safe care and treatment) – the staff team did not reflect on their work together to ensure learning from frequent incidents.

Regulation 18 (staffing) – staff did not receive appropriate supervision to enable them to carry out the role they were employed to perform.

At the April 2018 inspection we rated the hospital as requires improvement overall. We rated the psychiatric intensive care unit as requires improvement overall, along with requires improvement for being safe and effective. We rated caring, responsive and well-led as good. The low secure ward was rated good overall, and for all key questions except effective, which was rated requires improvement.

What people who use the service say

Patients said staff treated them well and behaved kindly. All patients told us they felt safe on the wards.

All patients commented that they were respected, treated well and listened to. They reported that staff were friendly, approachable, professional and could have regular one to one sessions.

Some patients on Tyler ward commented that planned activities in the evenings and at weekends did not take place.

We received feedback from three carers we spoke with. All carers told us that they were involved in their family members care and that overall staff were kind and caring.

Updated 20 December 2021

Cygnet Hospital Blackheath provides psychiatric intensive care and low secure care to men over the age of 18 years.

Our rating of this service improved. We rated it as good because:

The service provided safe care. All patients and staff told us they felt safe. The ward environments were safe and clean. During this inspection, we found the provider had made improvements since our inspections in April 2018 and June 2020.

Medicines were prescribed in accordance with law relating to consent to treatment under the Mental Health Act 1983. Staff managed medicines safely.

The service had improved reflective practice and processes to ensure that learning from incidents, took place.

Managers also ensured that staff received regular clinical and managerial supervision which supported them in their role. Staff told us they were able to speak up and raise any concerns they had.

The wards had enough nurses and doctors to deliver safe and care to patients.

Staff minimised the use of restrictive practices and used restraint as a last resort.

Staff followed good practice with respect to safeguarding and had improved processes to ensure learning from safeguarding took place.

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 and in line with national guidance about best practice. Staff engaged in clinical audit to evaluate the quality of care they provided, action plans were developed to make improvements.

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. The ward staff worked well together as a multidisciplinary team and with those outside the service who would have a role in providing aftercare.

Staff understood and discharged their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and understood the individual needs of patients. They actively involved patients and families and carers in care decisions.

Since the last inspection there were improvements to the culture of the hospital. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They could raise any concerns without fear and reported that their concerns were taken seriously.

Staff were provided with opportunities for development and career progression. Staff reported they were positive and proud to work for the provider.

Governance processes operated effectively and performance and risk were managed well.

However:

Not all patients on Tyler ward had a copy of their care plan.

Planned activities for evenings and weekends did not always take place on Tyler ward.

Updated 20 December 2021

Our rating of this service stayed the same.

We rated it as good because:

• Please see overall summary.

Updated 20 December 2021

Our rating of this service improved. We rated it as good because:

• Please see overall summary.