Cygnet Lodge Salford

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

This means we looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity, and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating has remained as good.

This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 65 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We always treat people with kindness, empathy and compassion and we respect their privacy and dignity. We treat colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Staff attitudes and behaviours when interacting with patients showed that they were discreet, respectful, and responsive, providing patients with help, emotional support, and advice at the time they needed it.

We saw some staff members engaging with patients in a very compassionate and person-centred way. However, we also saw some staff who were not engaging with patients in a positive and proactive way, for example chatting among themselves during lunchtime rather than engaging with patients.

Staff supported patients to understand and manage their care, treatment, or condition. There was a range of activities available for patients, and we saw evidence of patient involvement in designing the activities timetable.

Staff directed patients to other services when appropriate and, if required, supported them to access those services.

Patients and carers said staff treated them well and behaved appropriately towards them. Two carers we spoke with said staff were caring respectful and polite.

Staff understood the individual needs of patients, including their personal, cultural, social, and religious needs.

Staff said they could raise concerns about disrespectful, discriminatory, or abusive behaviour or attitudes towards patients without fear of the consequences.

Staff maintained the confidentiality of information about patients.

We mostly treat people as individuals and make sure their care, support and treatment meets their needs and preferences, taking account of their strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

The service mostly made adjustments for disabled patients by ensuring disabled people’s access to premises and by meeting patients’ specific communication needs. However, the lift to the upstairs was not in use during the assessment and this restricted access for and anyone with restricted mobility. This meant that some of the facilities on the first floor were inaccessible. Following the assessment arrangements had been made for an engineer to attend to fix the lift.

Staff ensured that patients could obtain information on treatments, local services, patients’ rights and how to complain. Information was displayed on the unit and activity plans were available for patients.

The information provided was in a form accessible to the patient group for example, in easy-read and pictorial form. Staff made information leaflets available in languages spoken by patients.

Managers ensured that staff and patients had easy access to interpreters and/or signers if these were needed.

Patients had a choice of food to meet the dietary requirements of religious and ethnic groups and to account for allergies and intolerances.

Staff ensured that patients had access to appropriate spiritual support and provided a multi faith room. Individual needs were assessed before admission and access to faith activities were supported in the local community.

We promote people’s independence, so they know their rights and have choice and control over their own care, treatment. and wellbeing.

Staff provided lots of group activities and therapies and sought feedback from patients regarding the effectiveness of these sessions. However, a lot of patients did not want to engage with the group activities on offer and said were bored and felt activities were not sufficiently rehabilitation focused. Patients had access to friends and family and families were consulted with about their care and treatment. Patients had access to community activities and were encouraged to participate.

Patients’ rights were given under the Mental Health Act, and this was monitored and documented for each patient. Patients had access to regular advocacy support and spoke positively about the advocate. Patients were invited to be involved in their ward meetings and were asked to provide written feedback before their meeting about their care treatment and wellbeing.

We listen to and understand people’s needs, views and wishes. We respond to these in that moment and will act to minimise any discomfort, concern, or distress.

Staff were aware of and dealt with any specific risk issues such as falls, and care planned for these accordingly. Staff used de-escalation techniques to reduce the need for physical interventions when patients’ behaviours became heightened. Daily risk handover sessions were held, and risk assessments were updated daily if any new risk was identified. However, we did find some concerns that some risks were not shared appropriately.

Psychologists provided training to staff on de-escalation techniques to respond to changing risks to, or posed by, patients. Staff training in person centred care and trauma informed care were delivered to staff to look at ways of delivering interventions safely with patients. This directed staff to consider individual behaviours when responding to risk. Information on maintaining therapeutic and professional boundaries were available to staff to ensure emotional distance safeguarded staff and patients. Patients’ observation levels on the unit were reviewed daily and documented with identified staff allocated if patients need more enhanced observations.

We care about and promote the wellbeing of our staff, and we support and enable them to always deliver person centred care.

Staff felt respected, supported, and valued. Staff felt positive and proud about working for the provider and their team. Staff had access to support for their own physical and emotional health needs through an occupational health service including confidential counselling. Staff were referred when a need was identified. Psychology provided debriefs in formulation meetings. However, some staff we spoke to on the assessment said they had not received any debriefs following incidents.

Employee assistance programmes were also available. Meals were provided for staff at work and staff were recognised by identifying an employee of the month. The provider recognised staff success within the service for example, through staff awards. Staff appraisals included conversations about career development and how it could be supported. The service had a staff complement board where staff and patients could post their individual comments about staff. They also had a staff relations suggestions form where staff could submit suggestions in relation to improvements to the service and ways of fundraising and annual events celebrations. They have held human resources support sessions for staff.

The provider has networks including a multi-cultural network, employer assistance network, trauma informed risk management with peer to peer to support, wellbeing initiatives with gift bags being provided to staff.

Some Black and Minority Ethnic staff members described experiences of racism at work both in terms of verbal abuse from patients and feeling held back in their career development as a person of colour.