Resources for Carers

The following booklet provides tailored information about Cygnet Lodge Woking for family, friends and caregivers.

Events

Visiting Cygnet Lodge Woking

Cygnet Lodge Woking recognises that it is very important for service users  to maintain contact with their relatives, friends and representatives whilst in hospital.  All visitors will be welcomed and made to feel comfortable.  To minimise the disruption to the therapeutic programme we ask for all visits to be booked in advance wherever possible.  This will ensure that your relative or friend is available to see you when you arrive.  This also allows us to be more flexible in our visiting times.

We have dedicated visitors’ rooms which offer a comfortable and private space for the visit.  When you arrive at reception you will be routinely asked to place all belongings into a secure locker.  These should include handbags, shopping, mobile phones and car keys. 

If you have any items for your relative then these should be given to reception so that our security staff can check them and the ward staff can collect them for inventory before they are given to the patient.  These precautions are taken to ensure that the patients on the ward are protected from having access to illicit substances or items that may be used to harm themselves or staff.

There is zero tolerance of verbal or physical abuse towards staff or patients during visiting.  Any visit encountering this will be terminated immediately.

Visits by Children

The hospital has a written policy on the arrangement for patients receiving visits from children. A visit by a child should only take place following a decision that such a visit would be in the child’s best interest. All children’s visits must be booked and approved in advance.

Visiting Times

Visiting may be arranged at any reasonable time but we would ask that this is pre-arranged and does not conflict with the therapy programme.  As a guide we ask that all visitors leave the building by 8.00pm.

What not to bring

The following items should not be brought into the hospital by any visitors, due to the potential risk they may pose. If you are unclear as to whether or not something is permissible, please do not hesitate in asking staff for advice. Food and drink should not be brought into the hospital as all service users are provided with an adequate and healthy diet. In exceptional circumstances please discuss this with a member of the team.

• Aerosols
• Alcohol
• Any tools (hammers, screwdrivers, blades, files, etc.)
• Batteries (Duracell, powercell, etc.)
• Blue tack , chewing gum, sellotape, glue
• Cameras
• Cutlery (knives, forks, spoons, pot bowls, mugs, etc.)
• Energy drinks of any description e.g. Redbull
• Flammable materials (matches, lighters, lighter fuel, gas, petrol, etc.)
• Glass of any description (bottles, jars, mirrors, photo frames etc.)
• Keys
• Knitting needles, crochet needles, sewing needles
• Mobile phones or pagers
• Pornographic material (magazines, videos, DVDs, photographs, etc.)
• Prescription and non-prescription medication, any creams / oils
• Refuse / plastic bags
• Street drugs of any description
• Tin cans
• USB memory sticks / dongles / Bluetooth
• Weapons of any description (knives, Stanley blades, razors, blades, metal nail files, scissors, etc.)