In the latest episode of the Changing Lives podcast, we travelled to Cygnet Sherwood Lodge to learn more about art psychotherapy from our staff and service users. 

In this episode of the Changing Lives podcast, we're joined by six member of our social care staff as part of the Social Care Superpower campaign.

They discussed what they consider to be the best things about their jobs and what skills and attributes they believe are needed to succeed in a career in social care.

The Cygnet social care superpower campaign aims to highlight the ordinary people with extraordinary skills who bring unique qualities to their social care services and make a valuable, positive difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in society.

We are encouraging anybody working in social care to get involved, share their chosen superpower and post on social media channels using the hashtag #socialcaresuperpower.

Cygnet’s Multicultural Network is a vibrant forum that plays an instrumental role in providing a credible and unified voice for Minority Ethnic staff. 

In this episode of the Changing Lives podcast, we visit Cygnet Hospital Taunton to chat with Hospital Manager, Josh, and Multicultural Network ambassador and Nurse, Edith to find out how they champion and celebrate the diversity of staff and service users within the hospital's community. 

In this episode we visit Cygnet Brunel, a service providing neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative rehabilitation for men with mental health difficulties and acquired brain injuries.

We caught up with Hospital Manager, Stephanie Coxon and the staff team and services users to hear about some of the coproduced initiatives they’ve been working on recently. 

We chat to service user Miles about a community engagement programme he’s designed to encourage and enhance service user-led activity sessions, supported by the MDT at Brunel. Miles’ project is the first service user-led Quality Improvement project at Cygnet and he shares how it’s given him the tools, knowledge and confidence to aide his recovery journey and his hopes to inspire others to do the same. 

The Friendly Bean Café was borne from the pandemic and the lockdowns which stripped everyone of access to the community. We hear from young entrepreneurial service user and Café Manager, Callum, about how the café has turned the previously unused atrium at Brunel into a buzzing community area where staff and service users come together.

A great employee induction can make all the difference between new joiners enjoying a long, successful career at an organisation or leaving before their probation period is complete.

In this episode of the Changing Lives podcast, Specialist Trainer, Adrian Ashurst, catches up with the team at Cygnet Hospital Maidstone to hear about the holistic induction they’ve introduced to support new starters. 

Adrian chats to General Manager, Alison McCulloch, Hospital Manager, Louisa Powell, and Support Worker, Audrey Matsika, about what it’s like working in mental health care for the first time and share some practical tips and inspiration about how to take an induction programme to the next level. 

In this episode we’re at Gledholt Mews talking with resident Peter Adu about Duzy Arts – a social enterprise he has launched to support individuals living in mental health services.

We also chat to Service Manager, Enrique Jose Chacoris, and some of the staff team at Gledholt Mews about their unique approach to mental health and what makes the service so special.

In Peter's own words, this episode "provides a sunrise of good feeling and hope for improvement of how people in mental health are treated, this includes staff."

Peter's hope is that people buy from www.duzyarts.com as extra support to help former residents reach their hopes and dreams to move on, enjoy life and build a sustainable interest to keep occupied and well. Visit Peter's website www.ozworlds.com for more information. 

In this episode we learn about Cygnet’s international doctor programme. 

There is a lot to consider when relocating from one country to another for work. So, what’s it like to be an international doctor? What are the challenges and opportunities? And what support does Cygnet offer for overseas colleagues, both professionally and personally?

Hear from Dr Sami, Dr Dave Barker, Dr Nnamdi Chi-Nwankwo and Becky Casson as they take us through the journey of arriving at Cygnet as an international doctor. From induction to career progression, everyone's made to feel welcome when they join the Cygnet family.

In this episode of Changing Lives we visit The Fields in Sheffield, a residential service for adults with learning disabilities. 

We spoke with the staff team and resident Michael about their new Evergreen Cafe, which was born out of the People's Council meetings and has been co-produced by staff and residents at The Fields.

Why is co-production so crucial in health and social care? How can we work with residents to create a sense of home? And what opportunities do we have to empower people to fill their days with purpose? We answer these questions and more in this episode.

Creating a sense of belonging is really important, especially in a new service like Joyce Parker Hospital. 

In this episode of the Changing Lives Podcast, Stacey chats about belonging with Louise and Rachael who work together at Joyce Parker Hospital. 

Stacey Spooner is a Clinical Team Leader / Ward Manager, Louise Hales is a Mental Health Nurse, and Rachael Tooley is a Senior Support Worker. 

What does belonging look like? What’s it like being part of an entirely new service? What have been the challenges? What have been the positives? And how can teams foster that sense of belonging and community? Stacey, Louise and Rachael cover this, and more, in this episode. 

It’s been tough for the last year, and more, for everyone. The pandemic has challenged every walk of life. And, when it comes to mental health, resilience has been tested more than ever. Not just for patients/service users but for the people who care for them.

In episode 3, we talk about resilience with Barry Swire, Operations Director for the South East and National Lead for Trim and Straw, and Albert Chelliah, Hospital Director at Cygnet Churchill. 

What does resilience look like and how do we find it? It’s something all of us have, whether we know it or not. And life tests even the most resilient people every day. 

Barry and Albert share their stories and advice in episode 3.

Do you know an inspiring colleague or have a suggestion for an episode topic? We would love to hear from you - get in touch at [email protected].