Cygnet Health Care has appointed Professor Lord Patel of Bradford as Senior Independent Board Director.

Lord Patel joins Cygnet Health Care following many years of working at the highest levels of national and international policy development in health and social care and further strengthens a highly experienced leadership team.

He brings deep expertise in mental health care, including in the areas of substance misuse and community cohesion. While serving the UK Government, Lord Patel held roles as the National Strategic Director for the National Institute for Mental Health England, and as a member of the Post-legislative Scrutiny Select Committee on the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Lord Patel also has significant experience serving on both public and independent sector boards, including chairing for six years the Mental Health Act Commission, the national body responsible for overseeing the care and treatment of all patients detained under the Mental Health Act.

He was Chair of the Delivering Race Equality (DRE) Board, one of the largest mental health race equality programmes ever undertaken, which implemented a major multi-million pound national government strategy across England and Wales. 

Commenting on his new role, Lord Patel of Bradford said: “I am delighted to be appointed as Senior Independent Director to the board of Cygnet Health Care. This advisory role will give me the opportunity to help Cygnet further enhance its provision to its service users, which include some of the most vulnerable people in society, and help ensure they have the best outcomes modern, high-quality mental health care can provide.

“Mental health is one of our country’s most pressing issues and working with the regulator, stakeholders and Cygnet’s staff group, service users and their families, will also give me valuable insight and a more informed perspective on what we need to do to help improve mental healthcare provision for all.”