Cygnet Churchill retains carer accreditation
A mental health hospital in South London has maintained the prestigious Triangle of Care accreditation for the work it does to involve carers in the support of their loved ones.
In 2023, Cygnet Health Care became the first independent provider of health and social care services to be accredited by the Carers Trust Triangle of Care programme.
Cygnet Churchill, on Lambeth Road, supports men with mental health difficulties and has once again been recognised for its continued efforts and commitment to improving the way the services work with carers and families, having initially received the accreditation in 2024.
The re-accreditation means staff have successfully demonstrated their commitment to making a difference to the lives of carers. The team undertook rigorous self-assessments to demonstrate how they are embedding the Triangle of Care standards and their commitment to ongoing improvements and clear carer involvement.
In their submission response accrediting Cygnet Churchill, the review panel stated there was a strong ‘carer aware’ culture at the hospital, with 100% of staff having undergone carer training.
The report added: “Carers Trust is pleased to see that the commitment to a ‘think carer’ culture is well embedded at the hospital.
“Cygnet Churchill has continued to improve support for carers with particular commendation for efforts to expand carer events: these provide a range of psychoeducation and peer support opportunities and are well supported across different clinical roles.
“There is a willingness to have difficult conversations and efforts to provide personalised responses to carer questions.
“Carers leads are another area of strength with a high number of leads across different staff roles and regular sharing of good practice and challenges.”
Hospital manager Harrison Carnegie said: “We are pleased to maintain our 1 star Triangle of Care accreditation, not only does it serve as evidence of our ongoing commitment to collaborative working with carers, it’s a tangible reward for all those who have been working hard to achieve reaccreditation.
“Through staff training, inclusive care planning, and ongoing communication with carers, we have managed to extend the principles of the Triangle of Care to all service lines within the Hospital, something we did not manage during the initial accreditation in May 2024.
“Our commitment to the Triangle of Care reflects our belief that carers are essential partners in the support and recovery journey of individuals receiving care with our service. By ensuring carers are informed and included in every stage of care we have been able to create a compassionate, safe and recovery focused environment.
“We recognise that while we have received reaccreditation, there is always room for growth and improvement therefore for the remainder of 2025 we will be working to embed the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework, which will further improve the experience for the service users and carers who utilise our service.”
The Triangle of Care is a quality improvement scheme for health and social care providers that promotes safety, recovery and wellbeing by including and supporting unpaid carers.