West Bromwich hospital recognised for excellence
A hospital in West Bromwich has been recognised for multiple examples of good practice across its neuro services in the first-ever report published by the Quality Network for Neuro Services (QN-Neuro).
Located on Grout Street, Cygnet Heathers is a 20-bed service providing neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative rehabilitation for men with mental health difficulties and acquired brain injuries.
The Cygnet Health Care service was recognised in the inaugural report released by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which highlights the work of participating neuro services across the UK during QN-Neuro’s first year in operation. Established in 2024, the initiative was created to strengthen quality, consistency and collaboration across neuropsychiatry and neurobehavioural rehabilitation pathways through shared learning, benchmarking and continuous quality improvement.
The report brings together insights from teams, patients, carers and partner organisations, reflecting a collective commitment to improving outcomes and experiences for individuals living with neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. It showcases innovation, compassionate care, and effective multidisciplinary working – all areas where the Cygnet Health Care service was repeatedly acknowledged.
The report praised Cygnet Heathers for multiple areas of good practice, including:
Ward environment: The service shows a strong commitment to accessibility and offers inclusive communication to reflect its diverse patient population. Examples include the use of talking tiles and multilingual signs to promote understanding and inclusion.
Governance and continuous improvement: The team was praised for a “strong culture of continuous learning and collaboration”. The service’s strong partnerships with local drug and alcohol services were noted to provide reciprocal training and the sharing of expertise. The report praised the development of internal learning programmes from Speech and Language Therapists to increase communication support for patients with cognitive or language challenges, particularly in relation to supporting individuals with Huntington’s disease.
Individuals supported at the Cygnet Health Care service spoke to assessors, offering their praise with one saying: “This service has saved my life; I can’t be more grateful of that.”
A number of other Cygnet hospitals and services were named for examples of exceptional practice whilst engaging in the peer review programme. Cygnet Group’s good practice spanned admission processes, care and treatment, risk management, patient engagement, staffing and governance.
Dr Matt Rowett, Cygnet Group Consultant Neuropsychiatrist, said: “The QN-Neuro standards offer a robust framework for benchmarking performance, strengthening pathways and embedding a culture of continuous improvement. Being recognised across so many categories reflects the dedication, expertise and compassionate care delivered by Cygnet’s multidisciplinary teams.
“The report reinforces Cygnet’s commitment to delivering person-centred, recovery-focused care, supporting staff development and wellbeing, and strengthening partnerships with families, carers and external services.
“We want to ensure continuous quality improvement across our neuro services and the recognition we have received throughout the report is a testament to the hard work and passion of our clinical teams, support staff, patients, carers and partner organisations.”
