The hospital has been rated as ‘Good’ in all five key areas of enquiry – Safe, Caring, Responsive, Well Led and Effective – following the most recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The regulator’s report praised the service for delivering ‘person-centred care’ and highlighted the compassion and kindness shown by staff.
The service, on Graveley Road, is part of the Cygnet Health Care division, and is an 82-bed hospital which offers a range of secure and PICU and acute mental health services for men and women.
As part of the inspection, the CQC spoke with 12 service users and their loved ones, as well as staff, and said feedback was “overwhelmingly positive.” Patients told inspectors they felt safe at the hospital and that staff ‘go the extra mile all the time.’ Carers were also positive about their experience of Cygnet Hospital Stevenage and felt their loved ones were receiving good care.
Praising the safe and effective care delivered at the service, inspectors said ward environments were clean, there were enough staff to meet the needs of patients and that all staff followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.
It added: “The service worked with people to understand what being safe means to them as well as with partners on the best way to achieve this. The service concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect.”
Celebrating the outcome, Hospital Manager Alice Zimba said: “We are incredibly proud of the result of our inspection by the Care Quality Commission. Inspectors recognised our safe and effective care, but also the compassion and dedication of our staff which enable a person-centred culture to thrive at the hospital. All of our service users receive personalised care which help them to learn how to manage their mental health and reinforce their daily living skills, helping to prepare for independent life. We work exceptionally hard every day to give our service users the quality of care they deserve and I am so proud of this wonderful achievement and look forward to the future with optimism for how Cygnet Hospital Stevenage can develop even further.”
The report also highlighted the “excellent therapeutic facilities” available at the hospital, including a well-provisioned music room, a large sports hall, two gyms, and said meaningful Occupational Therapy activities were available to patients.
Describing the effective and caring nature at the service, inspectors noted: “There was an overarching focus on delivering transformative and recovery focused care. Patients told us that that they were receiving good care, treatment options were explained to them and they were offered treatment choice and they were involved in care decisions. Staff always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. People were viewed as unique with skills, strengths and personal goals.”
The regulator reviewed the leadership at the hospital and inspectors also noted that managers’ ensured staff received training, supervision and appraisal, celebrated staff successes and had developed strategies to boost staff well being.
Read the full Cygnet Hospital Stevenage CQC report here