Cygnet Aspen House is a 20 bed service in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, specialising in high dependency inpatient rehabilitation for women who have severe and enduring mental illness.
The latest inspection was an unannounced inspection on 17th-18th May 2022 looking at all five key lines of enquiry. The inspectors found improvements in the ‘Safe’ category since the last inspection and as result the service was rated ‘Good’ across all five domains.
As part of the inspection the CQC spoke to eight service users and five family members. Service users said they liked the staff and said there was always a staff member to speak to. The family members were also positive saying that staff facilitated visits well and that they found staff to be polite, warm and caring.
The full report, published on the CQC website, highlights many areas of positive practice, including:
- Staff were discreet, respectful, and responsive when caring for service users. They knew the service users well and had a good rapport with them.
- Staff involved service users in decisions about the service, when appropriate. Service users attended a daily community meeting where they could contribute ideas and raise concerns.
- The service’s rehabilitation model included therapy jobs for some service users which enabled individuals to see progression in their rehabilitation, such as initially doing the role escorted and progressing to unescorted leave.
- Staff helped service users to live healthier lives by supporting them to take part in programmes or giving advice.
- Staff assessed and managed risks to service users and themselves well. They achieved the right balance between maintaining safety and providing the least restrictive environment possible in order to facilitate service users’ recovery.
- The hospital had a minibus to enable service users to enjoy day trips to local places. Some service users visited an animal sanctuary each week to assist in animal care.
- Staff planned and managed discharges well. They worked well with services providing aftercare and managed service users’ move out of hospital. As a result, service users did not have to stay in hospital when they were well enough to leave.
Pauline Rees, Hospital Manager, said, “We have such a hardworking, compassionate and caring team here at Cygnet Aspen House. The news that the recent CQC inspection result is ‘Good’ in all domains is an absolute credit to the team, and a true reflection of the excellent care delivered at the service. Well done, I am so proud of all involved.”
For more information about Cygnet Aspen House please click here.