The visit came about when Mr Gibson wrote to Cygnet St William’s to congratulate them on achieving a ‘Good’ rating at its first CQC inspection recently, following its first anniversary of opening. Never one to miss an opportunity, Hospital Manager Alison King invited him to visit to see the service for himself.
Mr Gibson was very interested to find out more about the holistic, recovery-oriented and personalised care that Cygnet St William’s provides to men from the North East and beyond, who have been affected by acquired brain injuries, and was given a tour of the hospital to meet service users and the staff team.
“Following Cygnet St William’s CQC inspection, I was delighted to accept Alison’s invitation to meet the team and tour the hospital. I was very impressed with the service and care being provided to people from a wide geographical area, and look forward to a continued relationship with St William’s and more visits in the future.”Peter Gibson MP
The Darlington hospital was designed specifically to provide a clinically led, evidence-based neuropsychiatric pathway for service users. It provides a safe and secure place to aid recovery, as well as a caring and long-term placement to support those with progressive neurological diseases, like Huntington’s Disease.
During the recent lockdown, the team worked hard to continue the treatment and care given to their service users, as well as keeping spirits high. Some of their recent activities have included a fundraising dance-a-thon and a VE Day anniversary BBQ and garden party. In April, staff also delivered hundreds of Easter eggs that had been donated to the hospital, to the local community.
Despite the challenges that they’ve had to overcome over the last year, Alison and her team are committed and determined to continue to improve the quality of care and support they give to their service users, not forgetting to have plenty of fun along the way!