Cygnet Hospital Beckton

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• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

This means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has improved to good. The service had made tangible improvements in its governance systems and was no longer in breach of regulations.

This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

We have not awarded this service a score for Well-led.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Well-led.

The service had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Staff knew and understood the provider’s strategy, vision, and values and how they were applied in the work of their team. Staff promoted the organisation's five values of integrity, trust, empowerment, respect, and care. During the inspection, we saw these values reflected in daily practice, which centred on improving the quality-of-care patients received through, compassion, empowerment, partnership, and involvement.

Staff knew and understood the provider’s vision and values and how they were applied in the work of their team. The organisation’s five values were displayed throughout the hospital and were part of induction and mandatory training for staff.

Staff had access to equality networks, and organised events for staff and patients which celebrated diversity. There were policies in relation to equality and diversity and promoting human rights was part of mandatory training.

Staff had the opportunity to contribute to discussions about the strategy for their service, including when the service was changing. Forums included reflective practice sessions, staff meetings, quality improvement meetings, access to Freedom to Speak Up guardians, and staff surveys. Experts by experience visited the hospital weekly to provide peer support to patients, participated in people’s council meetings and contributed to improvement ideas.

For example, the hospital on-site Recovery College a co-production, run by patients and staff, provided educational courses and workshops. Patients valued the college, describing it as confidence‑building, and helping their self‑esteem.

The service had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Leaders had the skills, knowledge and experience to perform their roles. The registered manager had been in the post since June 2025. The registered manager was a registered nurse. They had experience of working in forensic, rehabilitation and acute settings.

Leaders had a good understanding of the services they managed. They could explain clearly how the teams were working to provide high-quality care. During our inspection the registered manager demonstrated a good understanding of patients, the staff team and matters relating to the provision of acute and psychiatric intensive care services.

Leaders were visible in the service and approachable for patients and staff. Staff we spoke with told us leaders were visible in the service and felt they could raise any concerns they had to them. They reported, an open, transparent, and supportive culture between colleagues and the leadership team. For example, one staff member told us about the support they received from their manager and colleagues after an incident they were involved in.

Leadership development opportunities were available, including opportunities for staff below team manager level. Some leaders previously worked for the service in other roles before progressing to their current positions.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

Staff supported, informed, and involved families or carers as appropriate. The hospital held Family and Friends meetings bi-monthly, which could be attended in person or online. The hospital also distributed a bi-monthly newsletter to family and carers. This provided updates on the hospital, how families and carers could be involved, and past and forthcoming events.

Staff provided carers with information about how to access a carer’s assessment.

Staff received regular updates of the provider's work through the ‘MyCygnet’ intranet, newsletters, emails, social media, and team meetings. The provider also used its website and social media to keep the public informed of the work they were undertaking to support patients, families, and carers.

The service engaged well with patients, carers, and staff to help them plan and manage the way the service operated. Staff surveys were completed, results analysed and action plans created based on the results.

Feedback was encouraged, and people were supported to provide it in ways that best suited them. Patients feedback through weekly community meetings, patient forums, patient council meetings, and their local advocacy services.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity.

The service valued diversity within its workforce. Leaders actively worked to improve equality, diversity and equity for all staff. Staff had access to six equality networks, these included LGBT+, Disability Network, Women's Network, Multicultural Network, Men's Health, and Staff Carers. Each network was represented by a staff champion. Staff reported fair treatment and access to opportunities for development and progression.

Managers enabled flexible working and made reasonable adjustments to support staff in their roles. The workforce reflected a diverse background and the needs of the patient group, and the service monitored equality performance against the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) and Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES)

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate.

Our findings from the other key questions demonstrated that governance processes operated effectively at team level and that performance and risk were managed well.

Since the last inspection, the service had made significant improvements in governance and oversight. All areas relating to governance, risk, and performance monitoring had been strengthened. As a result, the service was no longer in breach of regulation.

Governance and performance monitoring arrangements were in place to support service delivery, identify risks, and monitor the quality and safety of care. There were systems and procedures to ensure that wards were safe and clean. Staffing levels were sufficient to meet patients' assessed needs safely, with additional staff rostered if required. Staff were trained, supervised, and appraised appropriately. Staff ensured patient outcomes and clinical effectiveness.

The registered manager and senior leadership team were aware of areas where improvement could be made and were committed to improving care and treatment for patients. They recognised improvements in the service needed to be embedded and sustained.

There was a clear framework of communication ensured staff were kept updated on the service, incidents, safeguarding, complaints and essential information though regular clinical governance, and daily huddle meetings.

Leaders had established appropriate policies, procedures, and activities to ensure safety and effectiveness. Regular audits were carried out, with action plans developed where shortfalls identified.

The service maintained a risk register and staff could escalate concerns when required. Staff concerns matched those on the risk register. The service had an up-to-date business continuity plan which details actions in emergencies to maintain the service.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

Staff worked in partnership with other professionals to ensure patients received holistic care and treatment which met their needs.

Patients could meet with members of the provider’s senior leadership team and commissioners to share their feedback and experiences.

The People’s Council was a co-produced forum within Cygnet Health Care to give a voice to patient, residents and family carers at every level of the organisation, held monthly. The meetings promoted discussions on how services could make quality improvements as well as wider decisions around the service, local protocols and group policy. The People’s Council also gave the opportunity for the sharing of best practice and lessons learned across the organisation.

The provider gave commissioners regular updates on care pathways and discharge plans.

We received feedback from external partners, which was positive, and they told us about collaborative working to support patients. They told us that information was received in a timely manner.

The service focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for patients. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The service was making improvements to its systems. On the day of our inspection, the hospital was in the process of moving over to a new electronic prescribing and medicines administration (ePMA) system.

The hospital had recently moved to a risk formulation model. Staff had received training and it was embedded as business-as-usual approach, and staff informed us, it would be disseminated across other Cygnet locations.

The hospital had several quality improvement initiatives and a research project was in progress, where staff had the opportunity to participate and apply them. The service was accredited through the Enabling Environments framework, a Royal College of Psychiatrists’ initiative focused on improving the quality of relationships and culture within services. The whole hospital had achieved accreditation with Triangle of Care, a quality improvement scheme aimed at improving support for carers. A Quality Network for Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (QNPICU) accreditation process was underway for Svanna Ward, whilst a Quality Network for Working-age inpatient wards (QNWA) accreditation process was in train for Hooper ward.

Over the few months preceding our visit, the OT team had led a ‘Creative Projects Group’ and created a Discharge Tree. The idea being that when a patient was discharged, they write a short message on a paper leaf, to then be stuck on the tree. The tree was displayed for other patients to see these messages and provide hope and motivation for their own recovery.