Two new purpose built mental health inpatient hospitals have opened in the West Midlands, bringing more than 200 jobs to the region.
The new hospitals, run by Cygnet Health Care and based in Oldbury and Wolverhampton, will provide 56 new beds to help ensure adults receive much-needed mental health treatment. The hope is that people will be able to access care closer to home and nearer to their supportive family networks wherever this is possible.
Cygnet Hospital Oldbury, on Salop Drive and Cygnet Hospital Wolverhampton, on Wolverhampton Road, will offer Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) and acute services for adults, with the female services located at Oldbury and the male services at Wolverhampton.
Between them, the two hospitals have brought more than 200 new jobs to the West Midlands with a range of career opportunities that includes health care professionals, clinicians, nurses, catering, domestics and administrative roles.
The new hospitals have also seen further investment by Cygnet in the local economy, with the company drawing on local resources during the construction phase and for day-to-day supplies to run the service.
Construction began in early 2023 and the services were officially opened on Tuesday 25 June by the Mayor of the City of Wolverhampton, Cllr Linda Leach, and Cygnet CEO Dr Tony Romero.
Cllr Leach, who was invited to perform the ribbon cutting ceremony, said: “I was pleased to have been asked to officially open this new hospital which has been built to provide safe and comfortable environment to promote successful recovery for those facing mental health struggles.
“I am pleased to see this investment in such an important service has been injected into our local area and I look forward to seeing the difference the facilities will make to people.”
Dr Tony Romero, Cygnet CEO, said he was pleased to be extending care pathways in the West Midlands. He explained that Cygnet is committed to providing new services to help more people who need mental health care, having already opened a new 44-bed hospital for men in Nottinghamshire earlier this year.
He added: “We are proud to be one of the country’s largest and leading providers of complex mental health, autism learning disability and social care services in the UK. It is a huge responsibility but one we are privileged to take on every day in the delivery of safe, person-centred care.
“With the increase in need for specialist mental health services, we want to be part of the solution and work together with the NHS to provide the best treatment and facilities to help people on their recovery journey.
“The new hospitals will ensure that people from the West Midlands can receive the treatment and care they need close to family and friends.
“The ethos of these new hospitals will be centred on doing all we can to make a positive difference to support those with mental health needs. The services will be provided by dedicated, highly skilled staff whose priority is to provide safe care – safe for those entrusted to us and safe for those who live and work in the communities where we are based.”
Dr Romero added that the company was keen to play an active part in its communities.
He said: “Cygnet has been providing mental health care in community settings across the country for over 35 years.
“We are very much part of the communities where we provide services and are keen to invest in and support initiatives in Oldbury and Wolverhampton including sponsorship and charity partnerships. We are actively exploring these opportunities and are committed to contributing positively to the local community.”
Both hospitals have a full multi-disciplinary team (MDT) and will support the acute needs of adults requiring rapid access to mental health services, including those who may need an intensive care environment.
Lottie Martin is the hospital manager of the 29-bed Cygnet Hospital Wolverhampton. She has been with Cygnet for nine years and is a registered mental health nurse with over 21 years’ experience spent in different settings including male and female acute wards, rehabilitation and community services including patients with eating disorders.
She said: “Our ethos here at Cygnet is to improve lives together, and Cygnet Hospital Wolverhampton will provide the highest level of compassionate, quality care for men with mental health needs to empower them to recover, and lead independent, fulfilling lives.
“As hospital manager, I will ensure my service delivers the best possible experience and outcomes for individuals and their carers’, and that staff feel they are supported and valued. This new service will be focused on hope, opportunity and possibility for the patients it serves.”
Shaw Ward, the new 17 bed male emergency acute inpatient service, is named after former Cygnet employee Brian Shaw who died in 2019. He was an invaluable part of the maintenance team at Cygnet Sedgley House and Lodge.
His family said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Cygnet for their thoughtfulness. As a family we greatly appreciate this and feel honoured and overwhelmed by the demonstration of kindness and for remembering our wonderful Dad.
“Naming a ward after him shows the recognition and appreciation Cygnet had for Dad. We hope the new hospitals will benefit and help all those that will access the service in the future.
“It such a great feeling knowing our Dad’s legacy will live on.”
The focus of the hospitals will be on length of stay and making sure individuals move as quickly and safely as possible to the most appropriate and least restrictive environment for them.
Stephen Smith, the manager of the 27-bed Cygnet Hospital Oldbury, added: “It is so important that individuals affected by mental health get access high quality care and treatment, and we are looking forward to seeing the difference this service will make to those women who need our help.
“The people we care for will be someone’s wife, daughter, sister or friend. They may have experienced difficulties leading to a deterioration in their mental health, such as a marriage breakdown or bereavement, but with the right care and support they will want to return to their own lives as soon as possible. With successful treatment, our care aims to understand, stabilise and support people to be able to return to a healthy and fulfilling life.
“My passion is to ensure all service users receive the highest levels of care in the safest environment, whilst promoting community reintegration. We have recruited a first class clinical and support team, all of whom will place our service users at the heart of all they do.”
Both hospitals will provide safe and comfortable environments to promote successful recovery. Facilities include, gardens, en-suite bedrooms, therapy rooms, multi-faith rooms, a gym, treatment rooms, communal lounges, dining rooms, quiet lounges, and meeting rooms.