My relative has been in mental health services for a few years. In each place the staff have given up on my relative and moved them on quickly. My relative is not easy to support, I will be the first to admit. My relatives ways of coping are tough and I would pay any money in the world to make sure my relative gets the support they need. Cygnet Derby provides that. I don’t think enough people leave good reviews...It’s easy to get angry at the mental health system and its easy to blame staff...But, these people are coming in to work and looking after our loved ones. Their getting the abuse for doing there jobs and they do a very good job. I have seen such a good change with my relative and the team are so kind and helpful. They always sound so bright on the phone, even when it sounds like it’s busy. They also help and support my family and invite me to be part of the decisions made with my relative. The teams social worker came out especially to meet with us, ease our worries, talk about the team and what we wanted for our relative. They also have a family/friends/relatives day where we have the chance to go in and see the ward and meet the team. It’s nice to put some names to faces. The wards are such bright places and clean! They have such nice facilities, pool tables, table tennis, rabbits, art rooms and a gym. I hope my relative can continue to progress here. Thank you for all your hard work Cygnet

Reply from Cygnet Health Care Limited
Mon, 30 Oct 2017 16:53:15 Z

Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. It means a lot to us to read that you’ve seen such a positive change in your relative. We are also glad that you’ve found the Family, Friends and Relatives days helpful and that your overall experience of the staff has been a good one. Very best wishes.

I too have a relative at Cygnet and I have to say the review I most identify with is the first one. Whilst it is very harsh to say there is no care for human life I do believe that the hospital looks after its staff and their egos first and patients are secondary to that. I have not seen anyone medicated to a point of no return however there is certainly far too much emphasis on medication and it seems to me there is very little thought given to holistic care and improving the local environment. It is also unfair to say "Staff and doctors are both appalling and insensitive" - like all establishments of this nature there are some good staff however they do not seem to be very strong and their voices are not heard. Some of the staff are among the worst I have ever come across and in my opinion are simply not up to doing the job they are supposed to do. This is really sad as it is the patients who suffer because of this. On a different level I even question the suitability of the hospital's physical location as it appears very cramped with no usable outside space for service users except small areas that appear to be dominated by people who smoke. The hospital appears to be very slow in adopting a no smoking policy! I wholeheartedly agree with the last line of the first review - people with mental illnesses should not be treated like this.