Cygnet Hospital Harrogate

Updated 13 October 2023

Cygnet Hospital Harrogate is a 36 bedded independent hospital which provides in-patient care for people over the age of 18 years who are experiencing mental health problems. Patients are admitted from Lancashire and South Cumbria and Bradford. The hospital provides care and treatment for informal patients and patients who are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

The hospital had a registered manager and a controlled drugs accountable officer in place at the time of the inspection.

A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered persons have the legal responsibility for the service meeting the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. An accountable officer is a senior person within the organisation with the responsibility of monitoring the management of controlled drugs to prevent mishandling or misuse as required by law.

The hospital had two wards:

• Haven Ward, a 19-bed acute admission ward for men.

• Sanctuary Ward, a 17-bed acute admission ward for women.

Cygnet Hospital Harrogate has been registered with the Care Quality Commission since 15 November 2010. It is registered to carry out two regulated activities:

• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury

• Assessment or medical treatment, for persons detained under the Mental Health Act (1983).

The hospital has been inspected on six previous occasions. The last inspection took place in October 2019, the hospital was rated good overall, the safe domain was rated as requires improvement; the effective, caring, responsive and well led domains were rated as good. The hospital did not meet one regulation of the Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) 2014:

Regulation 12, Safe care and treatment. Care and treatment was not provided in a safe way for patients as staff did not consistently demonstrate the proper and safe management of medicine or post rapid tranquilisation physical health monitoring.

What people who use the service say

We spoke with 16 patients, reviewed a patient survey completed by 118 patients between January and December 2022 and 120 compliments received between September 2022 and August 2023. Feedback from patients was consistently positive about the way staff treated them. Patients said staff were positive, helpful, and polite. The last patient satisfaction survey data for January to December 2022 indicated that 96% of patients who completed the survey said staff were caring and supportive.

All patients we spoke with told us they were actively involved in planning their care, their personal cultural, social and religious needs were taken into account and they were given a copy of their care plan. Patients we spoke with told us that they felt they were given ownership of their illness and encouraged to take responsibility for themselves.

Patients we spoke with told us the food was of a high standard, said there was lots of choice and were positive about the catering staff.

Patients told us that there was a good range of activities and that these were not cancelled. The provider had engaged patients in a quality improvement project to increase and improve the activities offered to patients.

Updated 13 October 2023

Our rating of this location ​stayed the same​. We rated it as ​good​ because:

• The service provided safe care. The ward environments were safe and clean. The wards had enough nurses and doctors. Staff assessed and managed risk well. They minimised the use of restrictive practices, managed medicines safely and followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.

• Staff developed collaborative, holistic and recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. They provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of the patients and in line with national guidance about best practice. Staff engaged in clinical audit to evaluate the quality of care they provided.

• The ward teams included or had access to the full range of specialists required to meet the needs of patients on the wards. Managers ensured that these staff received training, supervision and appraisal. The ward staff worked well together as a multidisciplinary team and with those outside the ward who would have a role in providing aftercare.

• Staff understood and discharged their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and understood the individual needs of patients. They actively involved patients and families and carers in care decisions.

• Feedback from patients about the care they received was consistently good and exceeded their expectations. Patients we spoke with said this was the best hospital they had been too and that all staff, including housekeepers and catering staff contributed to a positive inpatient stay.

• The last patient satisfaction survey data indicated that 96% of 118 patients who completed the survey said staff were caring and supportive.

• Patients were treated as individuals and different approaches were taken, when needed, to support them in the most appropriate way. Patient’s individual needs, cultures and backgrounds were supported by staff and adjustments were made to accommodate their needs.

• The service managed beds well and patients were discharged promptly once their condition warranted this. The service had positive working relationships with commissioners, referring authorities and other external agencies.

• The service was well led, and the governance processes ensured that ward procedures ran smoothly.

Updated 13 October 2023

Our rating of this service ​stayed the same​. We rated it as ​good​. See the summary above for details.