Cygnet Newham House, a 20-bed neuropsychiatric care and treatment facility providing rehabilitation for women affected by acquired brain injuries (ABI), has been recognised for its continued efforts and commitment to improving the way the services work with carers and families.
In 2023, Cygnet became the first independent provider of health and social care services to be accredited by the Carers Trust Triangle of Care programme. Now the hospital, on Hemlington Village Road, has become the latest Cygnet Health Care service to achieve the one-star accreditation, meaning staff have successfully demonstrated their commitment to making a difference to the lives of carers.
Hospital Manager Joanna Yarker explained: “I am absolutely delighted that our work with carers has been recognised and commended with a Triangle of Care accreditation.
“At Cygnet Newham House we highly value and respect the input of carers, they are equal partners in care and ultimately, they know the service user the best. Their knowledge and insight is so often invaluable in ensuring we give service users the best chance of recovery.
“I am pleased that our hard work and commitment in this area has been highlighted. Our ongoing commitment to the Triangle of Care will ensure we continue to develop and evolve going forward, keeping carers at the heart of our delivery.”
As part of their assessment, a Triangle of Care panel spoke with a current carer at the service, Paul. In their submission response for Cygnet Newham House, assessors noted: “It was excellent to hear from your carer representative how they had felt welcomed and involved from the outstart.
“Paul spoke about feeling ‘wanted’ and that the service had made him feel special. Paul went on to speak about how it was easy to bring up issues which were then quickly resolved by staff.
“There was strong evidence of a carer friendly culture and this is a great strength of this service.”
Assessors also said they were impressed that staff are trained on carer awareness and all carer handbooks and welcome packs are co-produced, with carer input. They were also impressed with how carers are invited to attend ward rounds in person and views sought via appropriate methods of communication in line with carer’s needs and preferences.
The Triangle of Care is an alliance between carers, service users and health professionals. It aims to promote safety and recovery and to sustain wellbeing in mental health by including and supporting carers.
The Triangle of Care was initially developed to improve mental health acute services by adopting these six principles:
- Carers and the essential role they play are identified at first contact or as soon as possible thereafter.
- Staff are ‘carer aware’ and trained in carer engagement strategies.
- Policy and practice protocols regarding confidentiality and sharing information, are in place.
- Defined post(s) responsible for carers are in place.
- A carer introduction to the service and staff is available, with a relevant range of information across the care pathway.
- A range of carer support services are available.