Updated 19 July 2021
Drug & Alcohol Service Reading is a community-based substance misuse service provided by Change Grow Live. Change, Grow, Live (CGL) is a voluntary sector organisation specialising in substance misuse and criminal justice intervention projects in England and Wales. Drug & Alcohol Service Reading (also known as Reading CGL) provides support to adults who live in Reading who require treatment for alcohol and illicit substance misuse.
They offer a range of services including initial advice, assessment and harm reduction services including needle exchange, prescribed medicines for alcohol and opiate detoxification and stabilisation, naloxone dispensing, group recovery programmes, one-to-one key working sessions and doctor and nurse clinics which includes health checks and blood borne virus testing.
The service was registered with the commission on 30 July 2020 and this was the first inspection where we provided a rating since registering.
There was a registered manager in post at the time of inspection.
The service is registered to provide the following regulated activity:
- Treatment for disease, disorder and injury.
This was an unannounced visit which meant staff and clients did not know that we would be visiting. This was Reading CGL’s first inspection.
What people who use the service say
We spoke to two clients who use the service via a video call. Clients told us that the service had improved following feedback from the service user forum. For example, early in the COVID-19 pandemic clients had been unable to fully access the service due to lockdown restrictions but the service had listened to this feedback and client’s regular contact was reinstated. The service made adaptions to ensure it was as accessible as possible whilst adhering to government guidance. Clients spoke highly of staff and the care and treatment they had received to date.