Sutton brain injury services rated 'outstanding'

Cygnet Grange and Cygnet Lodge, are part of Cygnet Health Care’s Neuropsychiatric care and treatment services in Nottinghamshire for men affected by acquired brain injuries and neurodegenerative conditions. They are based on Mason Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield.

They have been rated as ‘outstanding’ by Headway’s approved provider scheme which utilises standards developed to reflect the specific needs of people with an acquired brain injury (ABI). These standards are used to evaluate a range of facilities including hospitals and neuro-rehabilitation units, residential homes and respite facilities.

The service was evaluated across six domains; Culture, Systems & Processes, Workforce Development, Service Delivery, Governance Leadership and Management & Quality, and finally, Environment. The Headway assessment team rated the service as ‘Outstanding’ in four domains.

The assessor praised the meaningful activities offered to the service users, including a therapeutic earnings programme to improve a wide variety of skills that gives a level of responsibility to those taking part.

They were impressed with the service user involvement saying: “The service arranges a weekly meeting where patients can collectively plan the activities for the upcoming week. This is an excellent opportunity for individuals to work on their executive functioning skills and practice socializing in a group setting.”

The assessor saw examples of best practise when speaking to the team and stated: “A Registered Nurse spoke eloquently about the support given to an individual who is highly reluctant to receive care, particularly as in previous placements this had included a significant element of restraint. It was clear through the discussion that the focus was on supporting this patient to be able to accept personal care interventions in a kind, caring, consistent, structured and routinized way.”

They noted fantastic examples of joint working between the staff, family members, service users, social worker and community team, which supported an individual to safely step down from the service.

Melanie Hobbs, Consultant Psychiatrist at the Cygnet Health Care service said: “We are very pleased with the outcome of this report, which is a reflection of all of the hard work and dedication of each and every team member working at Cygnet Grange & Lodge. We strive to ensure that the services we provide are safe, positive and supportive environments for men to continue their rehabilitation journey.”

Cygnet Grange and Cygnet Lodge are amongst Cygnet Health Care’s network of seven neuropsychiatric rehabilitation services, supporting men and women nationwide.