AN independent mental health hospital with a troubled past has been told to improve by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Cygnet Hospital Wyke, on Huddersfield Road, has faced a series of serious concerns and damning inspection reports in recent years.

In 2021, the hospital was moved out of special measures and was rated ‘requires improvement’.

Following a recent inspection, carried out across three dates in September, it remains 'requires improvement' overall, but the key question of 'are services caring?' has been downgraded from 'good' to 'requires improvement' while 'are services safe?' has moved from 'requires improvement' to 'inadequate'. 

The effectiveness, responsiveness and leadership remained as 'requires improvement'. 

The hospital supports those with psychiatric needs, autism, and learning disabilities.

A spokesperson for the hospital said it has already “taken steps to improve in the areas raised” by the CQC.

The CQC’s report said: “The service did not give people care and support in a safe, clean, well equipped, well-furnished and well-maintained environment that met their sensory and physical needs.

“The ward had a high use of agency staff and there was a high turnover of staff, particularly healthcare support workers. Some staff had not received training on autism prior to starting work on the ward.

“The discharge plans did not outline progress against an action plan.

“Staff did not effectively support people to play an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing.

“People’s care, treatment and support plans did not always fully reflect their range of needs in order to promote their wellbeing and enjoyment of life.

“People could not consistently take part in activities and pursue interests that were tailored to them.

“There had been an ongoing concern over noise levels on the ward that had still not been addressed adequately.”

It added: “Medicines were not always managed safely. Emergency equipment was not always accessible.

“A high proportion of patients had experienced violence or aggression from a peer on the ward and the provider was not taking sufficient action to work towards reducing this.

“Ward teams did not always have access to the full range of specialists required to meet the needs of patients on the wards.

“Staff were not always receiving regular training updates or appraisals.

“Staff did not always actively involve patients and families and carers in care decisions.

“Patients were not always well supported in relation to their cultural and spiritual needs.

“We identified blanket restrictions which were not justified on the basis of risk and these had not always been recognised by the provider.

“Governance processes were in place but these did not always ensure that wards ran smoothly.”

Inspectors praised work by staff to support people’s independence.

The report also said people were able to personalise their rooms and received help in planning for periods of distress.

The report added: “Most staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing.

“Staff usually treated patients with compassion and kindness and respected their privacy and dignity.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Cygnet Hospital Wyke said: “Patient safety is always our priority and we take all feedback seriously. Since the inspection we have taken steps to improve in the areas raised and will continue to focus on providing the highest standards of care.

“The report did recognise the kind, compassionate nature of our staff and acknowledged that they follow good practice in regards to safeguarding.

“Regulators said the service supported patients to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence over their lives. It also highlighted that ward staff worked well both together and with teams who provide aftercare to patients.

“As part of our continuing commitment to quality we have appointed new staff, including to the management team, increased psychology and occupational therapy provision and adapted some of our governance processes to reduce the likelihood of recurring incidents.

“We are also focusing on safeguarding support and we have conducted a review of all activities offered to patients including developing community links for patients on Adarna Ward.

“We will continue to embed these improvements and look forward to being able to demonstrate the positive changes we are making at the next inspection.”

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