A substance misuse service has made widespread improvements and has been rated outstanding following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in February.
CQC inspected County Durham Substance Misuse Service - Centre for Change, run by Humankind, and found a service where people benefitted from outstanding care.
Humankind provides psychosocial and recovery-focused interventions for children and adults with alcohol and drug use problems.
Following the inspection, the service was rated outstanding overall and for being caring and responsive. It was rated good for being safe, well-led and effective. The service was previously rated as requires improvement overall.
Brian Cranna, CQC’s head of hospital inspection, said:
“When we inspected County Durham Substance Misuse Service - Centre for Change, we were extremely impressed by the level of support people received and found a service that had made widespread improvements.
“Leaders and staff were highly motivated and offered care that was kind and promoted people’s dignity. They worked hard with people to ensure they had a voice in the community and helped them to realise their potential.
“People were supported to live healthier lives and the service offered advice around reducing substance use, exercise, diet, accessing outdoor areas to encourage better mental health, smoking cessation and sexual health support.
“The service had created an online self-audit tool which helped people identify the extent of their alcohol problem and encouraged them to book an appointment with the service if needed. There had been an increase in adults accessing the service for treatment since this tool was implemented which is brilliant news.
“We were impressed that staff carried out checks to locate any rough sleepers and provided them with clothing, toiletries, showering and laundry facilities and helped them to find suitable accommodation. They also organised COVID-19 vaccinations for people at a venue close to them.
“Feedback about the service was consistently positive. People and their families said the care they received was exceptional and that they were always involved in any decisions that could affect them.
“The whole team deserve to be congratulated for all their hard work and commitment.”
CQC inspectors found:
- The service developed innovative approaches to meet the needs of a range of people who used the service. This included using a mobile public health facility to engage with people who lived in rural areas.
- Staff found innovative ways to enable people to manage their own health and care when they could and to maintain independence as much as possible.
- People who used the service fed back that staff went the extra mile and their care and support exceeded their expectations.
- Leaders had an inspiring shared purpose and strived to deliver and motivate staff to succeed.
- There was a positive culture throughout the service. Staff felt respected, supported and valued and spoke highly of the service’s culture They felt proud, positive, satisfied and part of the organisation’s future direction.
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