AN initiative for mental health patients that began at a Bradford hospital could win a national award.

Cygnet Health Care's Social Hubs project has been named as a finalist in the Environment of Care category at this year's Patient Experience Network Awards.

More than a dozen Cygnet services have set up social hubs, with the first established at Cygnet Hospital Bierley.

The social hubs feature the likes of games consoles, arcade machines, adjustable sensory lighting, aromatherapy diffusers, bean bags, and recording studio equipment.

Items for the hubs were proposed by members of Experts by Experience, who have lived experience of inpatient settings, during regular visits to the services.

Raf Hamaizia, Cygnet’s Expert by Experience lead, said: "The sterile, often drab environments of psychiatric hospitals have long been a point of contention, with service users frequently describing them to me as 'noisy, depressing, boring and too clinical' - feelings that can exacerbate their conditions, which is counterproductive to the very purpose of settings that are supposed to promote recovery.

"The idea behind social hubs is to transform these spaces into least restrictive, non-clinical, homely environments where service users can relax, engage in fun activities, and receive peer support."

Winners of the awards will be announced on Thursday, October 3.