registered mental health nurse

support worker

occupational therapist

registered nurse

clinical team leader

Cygnet Health Care

Please note that this is my own opinion from my own experience.

Expect to be physically attacked at any given moment for no reason other than the service users/residents are extremely bored and frustrated, all they seem to live for is looking forward to the next "feeding time".
Most of the "ground floor" workers are great and do their best but the environment and facilities do not support their desire to run things in a smooth and happy way.
Most days have that "Groundhog Day" feel and the regimented routines have a certain "institutionalized" feel to them.
The care certificate drums into you the need to respect the service users right to a "freedom of choice" but this is curtailed somewhat by established practice and routines.
The residents made be none verbal and have complex needs but none of them are "dumb" and to be "persuaded" to do the same activities and chores every day can be very frustrating for them and their support workers. Boredom is the worst enemy.

Often there are staff shortages and so an agency is used every day, some are good but some are blatantly not expecting what they are thrown into.

Physical assaults are common and the management expect staff to take it and God forbid you should express displeasure to the resident in a "not allowed to tell them they have done wrong" kind of culture which means they will never learn or stop.

Very clicky management set up with obvious favourite "yes" men types.

Encouraged to not express opinions and God forbid you write anything negative on the precious daily event records or incident forms.


Training for physical restraint can take some months and yet you are thrown into lone working with residents who continuously hit out several times a day.


The shifts are 12 hours long, with just 2 x 30 minute breaks a day. You are not away from work when you have these breaks and often interrupted so you don't really get a break. The shift pattern is very erratic, 4 on 4 off would be much better as you need the 4 off to de-stress.


Very emotionally challenging and draining and although you are hoodwinked into thinking you will be a support worker it's really more like being a prison warden/personal bodyguard/personal security than a support worker as you are forever positioning yourself between residents as none of them interact with each other unless trying to steal each others food items.


For myself, had I been given say a week, or even 3 days "try it and see" trial before accepting the role I would have seen it was totally not what was either portrayed or expected and I would have declined the job offer.


VERY high turn over of staff, [I have seen perhaps a dozen leave in 12 months], mainly due to the stress of worrying about being attacked, the groundhog feel, the institutionalized feel, long hours, low pay for what is entailed, and frustration at feeling that you are letting these vulnerable people down.

If you have little or no empathy and you can switch off your emotion and just go in like a robot and follow the rules then you'll cope better.

Expect lots of poo and wee and other bodily fluid clean ups and also expect to catch lots of colds and bugs, often the PPI things like gloves, shoe covers and disposable aprons as well as cleaning liquids have run out, and expect to catch lots of bugs/colds too.


Things often get broke and take ages to replace and fix which adds to the unease of the residents and makes it harder to keep things running smoothly.

You are often expected to do the cleaning and cooking at the same time as protecting the well being of a resident and you are also often left in control of 2 or 3 residents all of which are suppose to be 1 to 1 due to staff shortages and covering breaks.

The company seems to have made cutbacks [in staff numbers] which stretches those left to the maximum and in my opinion creates a wider scope for things going drastically wrong.


As I have said, good co-workers but they all talk to each other and they are all unhappy at heart and if you are the type that express's herself out loud then management will be gunning for you and you will get all the known more challenging jobs/residents until you break and leave.


There's a feeling that all the company cares about is profit.

I have never worked with a company so poorly before, the service users are amazing and I enjoyed working with every single one. But I have never experienced such poor management before, 0 support, 0 care, you’ll get no appreciation from management at all unless they’re trying to save their own backs when they’ve realised they’ve messed up again. Extremely high turnover rate. Will make you do alot of highly wrong things, e.g back-dating lots of paperwork as management never make sure it’s completed properly or allowing staff to give out medication without even being signed off. A-lot of whistleblowing has happened about management and team leaders (nothing changed) . I worked at multiple sites so don’t think you’ll get lucky and get a good manager, one manager for ALL sites and only around 3 team leaders for all sites too, three/four team leaders got fired in the space of a few months this year. Awful training, bad quality online training (only online) only care about how fast you can get it finished not about if you’ve actually learned anything. Management and team leaders have little idea about how to care and support the service users there properly, extremely hard to even know them properly at all as they only stick to one site. Will get promised so much for both staff and service users which will just never happen. Will take hours and days sometimes a week to get any replies from team leaders or management, the only way you can get support on shift is to text or call a team leader who is “on call” and hope for the best but always takes far too long for any replies/help/support, unless you’re working at a site where they are but 9/10 will be in the office not wanting you to talk to them. Team leaders and manager always slating and gossiping about staff, we heard extremely clear one team leader calling staff  “they are ******* idiots that’s why”  in the office thinking no one could hear. Team leaders and management gossip worse than staff, team leaders will tell staff personal and confidential information about other staff and will tell you to “keep it between us and off the books”. Whoever is on call for that day is never available to answer phone calls/answer replies. Management are painfully obvious when they’re being nice to compensate. Multiple staff who were rewarded employee of the month were promised vouchers as rewards only 1 or 2 ever did receive them out of many people. Called in on multiple days off, rota will change minimum 3 times every month with no warning and no telling staff they’ve actually changed it so will still tell you off even though you had no idea you were rota on. You’re promised a supervision every month before passing probation and then a supervision every three months after passing probation, neither will happen as team leaders don’t have the time. 8/10 staff that are hired have no experience and no willingness to want to work in care at all. I’ve worked in care, hospitals, support work etc before and i’ve never had such a bad work experience before than with this company. The list can go on 

My time at Cygnet Wast Hills was a joke. I come from a family of hard working individuals, we work hard for what we have and dont take anything for granted. We certainly dont believe in coal mining those in power. 

Coal mining and respect are different things; respect I gave but I received non in return. I was on a number of occasions threatened on my job security; not because I didn't do my job, I did that well. But apparently in the non existent free time I would have I was constantly bad mouthing others. This is upsetting to me because I prefer to be kept away from drama and issues as petty as this. This is not my character at all. Unfortunately what became apparent is some people weren't happy with me as I worked my way from a support worker to activity coordinator. I was interviewed as per everybody else. 

When new management took over it first appeared like good changes were coming. Staff who were not interested in being under new management left; as is often the case in settings. However going forward a few months promotions were being given out without interviews and without being equal to staff. These same staff would be the ones causing work stresses for those who worked hard. These staff members dictated the environment in the setting and soon enough a lot of good staff whom genuinely cared for the individuals in our care began leaving. When I took the promotion to activity coordinator I had great support from my colleague who was in the same role but one thing we couldn't fathom is how you can be promoted and have a pay reduction. This continued and I chased it up until my final days at the setting. 

The company through and through is rotten. There is no respect the Multi-Disciplinary Team as management treat them horrendously and this then continues as support workers see it and believe it acceptable to do the same. Its upsetting when you work had to make a difference but some staff chose to treat where they work as a catch up ground and neglect the patients care. I have worked days and nights and one thing that is prevalent is the lack of care and respect seniors and support workers have for the patients. Laughing loud, shouting and ignoring patients. Wast Hills in an autism unit and people seemed to forget this. 

I am so thankful I am out of that horrible place and unfortunately I feel it will only continue to decline because the people they choose to put in power. Those in power have a child mentality! 

This is a really challenging place to work, but ultimately you are making a difference for people who might be experiencing a very challenging time in their own life, so it's to be expected. 

I started with the company on a management trainee scheme and within one year had a substantive role with the HR team. Every single day I learn something new, which I find very motivating. When I spend time in our services, in the hospitals and homes that we run, I am inspired by our incredible nurses and support workers who deliver the support and care that our service users need to progress, and by the service users themselves, many of whom will take time out of their day to talk to me, a total stranger, about their experiences. Those days help to put in context the work that we do and make the job very rewarding.

In the main I have found Cygnet's Senior Management team to be very approachable and I genuinely believe that they have the best interests of service users and staff at the core of what they do. Like every organisation, there are times when you would like to see things done differently, but for me the intention is right so I can overlook small annoyances. The executive team run an initiative called Ask The Board to encourage good communication within the company. The initiative allows any member of staff to ask the board any question and receive a written response. Often staff notice things that senior management don't, so it's a really good tool for people to get their voices heard when they have an idea or question they want to raise.

In terms of career development, there are so many opportunities right now in Cygnet. I am studying on a Level 5 Apprenticeship to gain my CIPD. There are others studying at Level 3 and Level 5 in various areas. This is fully funded by Cygnet, with support from other people doing the courses, as well as from my line manager and colleagues. The opportunities exist for people who are willing to put in the work, and who want to take them.

In my department there is a genuine sense of team spirit, and everyone wants to support each other to get the job done. It's a really challenging time to be working in mental health care, but the rewards are there for those who are motivated to make a difference.

Not a nice place to work at all. The gossip culture is terrible and nothing is ever done about it. If you are on good terms with management and friendly with them you can get away with pretty much anything, but If not, don’t step out of line because you will not hear the end of it. Leading on to the next problem double standards. There are different rules for everyone, department to department, person to person. What goes for one does not go for the other. 

Wards always run below numbers leaving dangerous staffing levels, most days wards were run on agency members of staff making the care inconsistent for patients. Night shifts were run on 99% agency staff you’d be lucky to have 1 or 2 permanent members on a night shift throughout the whole hospital. Permanent members of ward staff were worn out and miserable, asked too much of for too little money considering the amount of amazing work they do (probably the only good thing about this place is the hard work the support workers put in). 
However due to the desperation for staff they would hire pretty much anyone that walked through the door - problematic due to the incompetent induction programme which sometimes lasted 2 weeks and sometimes would be 3 days before new starters were on the wards… no such thing as supernumerary here… the minute you’re on the ward you’re in numbers. 

Management were not often present. Other than of course when they wanted to change the main atrium furniture around for the 5th time that month. Hospital manager can be down right rude and unprofessional. Not many people thought very highly of her due to this. Maybe if they spent more time concerned for their staffs well-being and little less time focussing on decorating the atrium with fake trees it might be a nicer environment to work.

Honestly avoid this hospital and company at all costs. If you’re having issues within your hospital don’t expect any support from HR as they haven’t got a clue and spend most of the time rambling. If you enjoy unnecessary stressful environments with 0 support you’ll love it here. 

Working in mental health can be amazing and rewarding and the best parts of the job are the reward of making a difference in a service users life, helping them through their journey and working with dedicated ward staff that keep doing their best advocating for the service users despite the odds. 

There is no typical day, in one shift you can be comforting someone as they tell you their tragic story then taking a trip to the seaside. You help people learn or relearn life skills such as cooking or visiting a supermarket and you sit and listen and help someone through their crisis.

The worst part is to be with someone in such distress and loss of control it is necessary to use restraint. Restraining is horrible and distressing for the staff involved as well as the service user.

The down sides are numerous and a lack of funding in mental health services is making the job unbearable and having a negative impact on the mental health of staff.

Hours are long, breaks are often missed so can be working 12+ hours straight. Breaks are not paid and it is hard and often impossible to be compensated for missed breaks.
Staffing is minimum making the wards dangerous and level of care low.
Verbal and/or physical assaults on staff is a daily occurrence.
Higher management do not seem to care for ward staff wellbeing.
The company seemingly puts profits above care.
Service users do not get the quality of care they deserve. 
Hard working staff are not rewarded. Ward staff moral is very low and staff turnover is high.
The wards are in need of major maintenance with cracks in plaster and holes in walls as well as mice found in service users bedrooms.
If a friend or family member had to be a mental health in patient I would not want them at a Cygnet hospital.

More money needs to be put into care and staffing levels increased. The salary of ward staff does not reflect the hard work, dedication and responsibility they have.

I have been in care for 15 years, and done various roles. Cygnet is the first place I've worked where they DO care about their staff. I appreciate there may be pockets of problems, nowhere is perfect, but the company as a whole genuinely does care. 
As a manager in social care, I am constantly encouraged to get my staff to speak up, to listen to them, to offer additional support when things get challenging. I have come from a place where they rinse you for everything you have, with no thanks, no appreciation and a considerable lack of support. This is not the case at cygnet. My work life balance is better, the staff are the most amazing, hard working, caring humans. The culture is very much, residents come first. Even to the top, when meeting with the Managing Directors, the CEO, the head of HR, they all press the importance of the residents. 
It can be a challenge getting to know the millions of systems cygnet use, and often find that I don't know something I need until I need it which can be frustrating. Luckily I pick things up quickly, but I know lots of experienced managers who would struggle to come into the role because of this. Theres a lot of things that could be done to try and improve this through induction. But also, if I reach out to someone for help, no matter what department, they're always happy to help. 
It can also be difficult explaining to staff why things have to be a certain way, or why something can't happen. But I have found this to be the case many a time over my 15 years in care. 
I do think the support workers hourly rate has room for improvement given the challenge of the work and I think there should be consideration taken to improve sick pay in some way.
I look forward to my career here, for the first time in years I feel like I am seen and appreciated.

I arrive 10 minutes before the start time, to catch up for a coffee and chat with the others on your shift. Collaborative care and attention to both staff and the users are a necessity that is provided successfully. You sign in and pick up your own personal set of keys; with an alarm, and electronic door passes.
Attend the shift changeover, with a full allocation of duties and the times allotted for each person during the day. Any questions, just ask. Management doesn't bite, they help. "All in it together" is a good way of looking at Cygnet, as I've personally not worked for a company where just about every member of staff is ready to jump in and take over a last-minute swap for various work reasons on the shift. I would recommend applying for a position here, competitive salary, free meals, friendly staff, every day or night is different, couldn't ask for more. I hurt my hand and wrist slipping on ice and was moved into the kitchen to help with food preparation and general tasks. They also have the best team, cleanest area, highest grade, and great menu, that I've seen. The kitchen manager just couldn't help any more than he does, nothing is an issue.
It's hard dealing with some situations, mental health care was never easy, it just has to be dealt with properly and the right actions taken every time, learning constantly, as everything varies in how things happen, and what is done to constructively correct it.
if there is a time when you have to set the alarm off, other staff are with you straight away. The training for safety, requirements of the role, and other parts, are both online and physical, with certificates and recognition.
Definitely apply for a position at Cygnet, it would be good to reduce or remove the agency workers, as they mainly have no experience within the company.

Shifts were long with no official breaks just as and when cover was available. Difficult with the long shifts or if with a difficult resident.

Food cooking tasks were forced upon you, meaning you would have to cook residents and co-workers meals alone or occasionally with help, this was not rota based but just assigned often.

Training was mostly online based with a worrying auto complete with most, you literally let a video play and once completed that counts towards your training, you do not even need to watch it in most cases, no assessment on almost all of the 20 or so training modules I sat through, which most other employees completed this way.  Many of the skills and knowledge needed was barely questioned on so if you can get through 30 hours or so of videos you should pass the probationary period.

Tasks can vary depending on which resident you are assigned but almost all involve some form of personal care, with others been more hands on and prone to attacking you regularly, I found I had to be on my guard constantly.

The hours are long 12 hours  with a monthly meeting making that 13 hours sometimes, so prepare for long shifts.

Co-workers mostly were great and friendly, which you will shadow so their experiences will help you learn. I Had worrying experiences with some though with some employee actions leaving me worried if these behaviours were normal in care homes or just this location. Management seemd to be rarely be available and the team leaders seemed to turn a blind eye to failings. My last review was removed by indeed so I won't go into details but personally if it was my family member living here I would not particularly feel happy  with that decision. 


When I first started working here I loved it,  mostly the team I work with are fantastic but over time problems build up and there's never any resolution so it's got to the point I can't wait to leave and it seems this is a common theme. 

The management above ward staff don't seem to want to resolve anything and then they wonder why they cant retain staff. For example they say you're paid based on experience and qualifications which is nonsense. I've had 20 years experience and hold an NVQ 3, however I'm paid 60p an hour less than someone who started at the same time as me, has 4 years experience and no qualifications. I've tried to address this many times but hit a brick wall. That's my main grievance really but couple that with one particular nurse that makes my shifts difficult which I have reported but nothing is done about it, I'm just done with this company. 
Oh and it's very political, if your face fits you're in, otherwise forget it.... an example is certain people being offered the opportunity to do the nurses associate course whilst others don't even hear about it.
I have raised all the advice issues but there's never a resolution, this is the main reason they leak staff. They rely on agency workers who are mostly great people but all the responsibilities rest on your shoulders so be prepared to be busy busy every single day, no joke but aside from your break you're made to feel guilty for just stopping to have a drink. 

One thing I do like however is working long days, you work 7 in 14, therefore have 7 days off, suits me perfectly.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Registered mental health nurse 121 salaries reported	£22.01 per hour
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Clinical team leader 20 salaries reported	£24.89 per hour

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