CYGNET Hospital Taunton, a mental health hospital run by Cygnet Health Care, has been rated ‘Good’ across all categories by the regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Inspectors have praised the ‘outstanding’ way the hospital communicated with those with severe learning difficulties.

The service on Orchard Portman, Taunton, provides rehabilitation for men with mental health difficulties and acquired brain injuries, and also offers an acute inpatient mental health service for older women.

In the new CQC report, following an inspection in March, inspectors concluded that the service is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Inspectors particularly praised an “outstanding practice” on Redwood Ward, a high dependency complex care service for men with learning disabilities.

Josh Tapp, hospital manager at Cygnet Taunton, said he was incredibly proud of the rating and the efforts of his staff to achieve it.

“I would like to thank all the staff for their hard work. To receive this kind of feedback over such a challenging period in healthcare is testament to everyone’s resilience and passion for the care we provide. We are motivated to achieve outstanding next time around and are already setting out plans on how to maintain and improve our standards as a hospital.”

Inspectors also applauded staff for the level of care offered towards service-users.

The report said: “Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and understood the individual needs of patients. They actively involved patients and families and carers in care decisions.”

The CQC also highlighted the opportunities afforded to service-users to try new experiences, develop new skills and gain independence.

Inspectors spoke to staff, service-users and their relatives and carers during the inspection visit, with one patient noting that, “staff always support us with our care, they helped us understand what was happening”.

Cygnet Hospital Taunton provides specialist inpatient services for older adults with mental health problems and for men diagnosed with a learning disability.

The hospital also provides an acute inpatient admissions service for men over the age of 18.