Cygnet Health Care colleagues are proud of their new social hub spaces and the pleasure they bring to patients (Expert by Experience Lead, Raf Hamaizia, foreground). Space for everyone Our patients across Cygnet Health Care services now have access to homely environments – ‘social hubs’- away from the wards, after unused spaces in our hospitals were given a makeover in an effort to provide safe spaces where the people we support can relax and socialise together. The hubs have been designed and installed across ten services so far and all have been co-produced with staff and patients, with mo ..read more

"[As] a profession, [we are] proud to celebrate our cultural diversity and the wealth of unique perspectives, experiences and innovations our global majority nurses bring to our practice." [Image created by freepik.com] Pride and recognition I’ve been in this profession for decades, but only in recent years has the wider world begun to realise the full range, experience and contribution social care nursing colleagues bring to the health and wellbeing of our communities. I understand the tendency to think of nursing purely in the context of hospital wards and clinics, but nursing is so much m ..read more

Visits from family and loved one’s are an important part of life when living in a care setting. During the pandemic the challenges faced by both families and those living in care facilities was huge. We want to ensure that whenever possible everyone has access to those, they want to spend time with. I know that everyone does their utmost to facilitate such visits and we want to ensure that happens.  On Saturday 6 April, legislation came into force to make visiting and accompanying residents and patients a Care Quality Commission (CQC) fundamental standard for care homes, hospitals and hos ..read more

  [Image created by freepik.com] Caring at home and work is tough I know from my own experience how challenging it can be juggling a busy work life and looking after a family member, in my case my mum at the end of her life. Those six months were tough, emotionally and physically. I experienced every emotion you can imagine. I know many of my colleagues, past and present, have lived through similar times or are doing so right now. Supporting each other helps. We cannot care for others without taking care of ourselves, however difficult or impossible that feels. That's why I am very plea ..read more

DanceSyndrome is an award winning dance charity based in Lancashire with a special focus on including everyone, with or without disabilities. They provide dance workshops, leadership training and consultancy. Their performance artists attend special events and exclusive performances, emphasising what people with learning disabilities can really do. Julie Nicholson, Managing Director of DanceSyndrome, is proud to share the story of its origins through the inspiration of its founder, Jen Blackwell. Jen Blackwell: “Before I started DanceSyndrome, I felt very alone. I was always, always dancing ..read more

Mental Health Nurses Day takes place this week (Wednesday 21 February), an opportunity to celebrate the unique contribution nurses and support workers make to our profession. A registered nurse for more than 20 years, David Wilmott has worked across a number of services, including acute and mental health. He is currently Director of Nursing at Cygnet Group, an independent health and social care organisation which provides services for young people and adults with mental health needs, acquired brain injuries, eating disorders, autism and learning disabilities within the UK. David shares his st ..read more

Support workers are the backbone of health and social care organisations, providing year-round care for service users, patients and residents. Leanne Flint joined Cygnet Healthcare as a support worker in 2008. Here, she writes about the training and personal development which has helped her progress. Leanne takes a positive approach to life's challenges. She is just as positive about careers in care. [Image created by freepik.com] Looking for inspiration I’d been working for an NHS GP surgery and, after many years, felt I needed a new challenge. My next-door neighbour worked at Cygnet and ..read more

Improving leadership is a journey, but you have to lay a clear path to success first. [Image created by freepik.com] Ambition for excellence The Messenger Review, published in 2022, set out an ambition to review system wide leadership development. It was an opportunity to help the health and social care system strengthen leadership and management across both sectors in England. It was also a way to help people new to their roles to better understand what is expected of them. Sir Gordon Messenger and Dame Linda Pollard’s wide-ranging review drew up seven recommendations: Interventions on ..read more

With enormous thanks to current and former Chief Social Workers for Adults, Lyn Romeo and Mark Harvey, the Social Care blog is pleased to share this fantastic blog from Southend Museums' Ciara Phipps. Her team have been exploring different ways to work more closely with social care council colleagues, to help more people understand and value the role arts, culture and heritage play in fostering good health, wellbeing and inclusive communities. "[At Southend Museums] we believe passionately more women from underrepresented backgrounds should see heritage, arts and culture roles as viable car ..read more

The Experts By Experience Team (Raf second from left): "Cygnet has embraced... lived experience into its working fabric, with a positive and accepting culture being a driving force behind the programme’s success." [Copyright Cygnet Healthcare] Who are the Experts by Experience? Experts by Experience are people with lived experience of using, or caring for someone who has used, health and or social care services. The Cygnet Experts by Experience (EBE) programme is a testament to the paradigm shift taking place in a sector embracing co-production and the value of people with lived experience ..read more