Dr Tony Romero, Cygnet Health Care CEO, is dedicated to providing high-quality services and innovative, sustainable care across the mental health sector. This article will focus on Cygnet Health Care’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in South Yorkshire, which has been recognised as demonstrating ‘outstanding practice’ in its services for young people by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Operating from Cygnet Hospital Sheffield on East Bank Road, Cygnet Health Care’s CAMHS unit has been recognised for its safe, effective and caring response to people’s needs following CQC inspection visits in September 2021, when its rating was upgraded to ‘Good’. Hospital director Tom Griffiths said he was delighted that the CQC had recognized the exceptional work of all Cygnet Hospital Sheffield staff, pointing out that the last two years had not been easy for the sector, but that the hospital had maintained its focus on delivering better and better care for its service-users. Mr Griffiths said that it was a testament to the incredible dedication of the hospital’s staff, who strive for excellence every single day.
In the report, the CQC’s Head of Hospital Inspections, Brian Cranna, said that the CQC welcomed the improvements made to Cygnet Hospital Sheffield’s quality of care. He praised the work of the leadership team and staff, who he acknowledged were making a difficult time in people’s lives a little easier by treating them with kindness and compassion, and actively involving people and families in decisions about their care.
Cygnet Hospital Sheffield aims to provide patients with the support that they need to move along their care pathway towards independent living. The specialist Phoenix School serves children staying on CAMHS wards, having received a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted.
The CQC report highlighted several examples of ‘outstanding practice’ demonstrated by the CAMHS wards. In particular, it highlighted the positive and inclusive culture on CAMHS wards, acknowledging that the hospital provided excellent LGBT support for young people. With a staff team that is representative of their patient group, CAMHS staff model an inclusive and creative approach, taking into account the individual needs of each young person they serve.
Inspectors also noted that the hospital’s Unicorn Ward was the UK’s first psychiatric intensive care unit to achieve CAMHeleon accreditation, an award that recognises best practice in adolescent and child mental health wards.
CAMHS’s Faun Ward opened in September 2022 at the Cygnet Joyce Parker Hospital in Coventry, providing a new Tier 4 PICU service for young people. Providing robust support and care for young people displaying challenging behaviour, the ward will focus on stabilising patients to facilitate their transition to a general acute ward or back into the care of community services.
Cygnet Health Care provides a wide range of specialist child and adolescent services, supporting people between the ages of 12 and 18 in low secure environments and Tier 4 Acute, psychiatric intensive care. CAMHS dedicated team members help young people to stabilise, enabling them to return home as soon as possible.
