Archived: Turning Point Roads to Recovery - Gloucester

Updated 19 December 2016

Turning Point Gloucestershire Roads to Recovery provides support to people suffering from drug and alcohol problems across six geographical areas within the county from six hub offices (where the team that provided the service in each area are based). The service was commissioned to provide an integrated specialist drug and alcohol service for adults in Gloucestershire.

The service provided care from offices in Gloucester (Imperial Chambers, which is the main registered location), Cheltenham (Bramery House), Cinderford (St Annal’s House), Cirencester (Gloucester House), Stroud (Brunel Mall) and Tewkesbury (Barton Street).

The service provides substitute prescribing (drugs and alcohol), access to community detoxification and residential rehabilitation treatment. They provide support to family members and carers of people affected by drug and alcohol use.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered the service to provide the regulated activity of Treatment of Disease, Disorder or Injury. They have a registered manager in post.

The CQC has inspected two of the services prior to this. They inspected Cheltenham on 13 November 2014. At that time, we found areas of concern regarding the provision of care, treatment and support that met people’s needs, issues regarding staffing and the quality of management oversight. CQC inspected Cinderford on 27 July 2015 and had no concerns at that time. Staff completed robust and comprehensive risk assessments and the service had a system staff used to escalate and manage concerns about increasing client risks.

From 1 January 2017, drug and alcohol services in Gloucestershire are transferring from Turning Point to a new provider following a tendering process to provide these services.

Updated 19 December 2016

We do not currently rate independent standalone substance misuse services.

We found the following areas of good practice:

• Staff monitored clients’ safety regularly throughout the treatment period. Staff were skilled and experienced and had a good understanding of individual risks. Safeguarding was a high priority and staff referred clients with safeguarding risks to appropriate agencies and monitored them. There were clear safeguarding adults and children policies and procedures in place and staff received mandatory training for this.
• All the locations had experienced and supportive managers. The service had an approachable and knowledgeable registered manager and senior operations manager. The senior management team provided excellent oversight supported by robust governance systems at local and national level.
• An experienced clinical consultant led a dedicated team of medical and non-medical staff. There was good multiagency working. The service worked closely with other agencies, for example GPs, to ensure they addressed and identified individual needs.
• The service prescribed medicine following ‘Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines of clinical management’ (2007) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Psychological therapies clients received also followed these guidelines. Dedicated staff monitored and audited prescriptions, and staff carried out prescribing reviews on a three monthly basis or more frequently if needed.
• The service provided support for issues associated with substance misuse. These included health checks such as testing for blood borne viruses and electrocardiograms (ECGs) for clients on high doses of methadone.
• Staff completed holistic, personalised recovery care plans with the clients. Staff collaborated with clients to identify their strengths and wishes and to set goals. Goals were individualised to ensure that the client’s recovery journey was unique and relevant to them.

However, we also found the following issue that the provider needs to improve:

• Rooms in the Gloucester and Stroud offices lacked sufficient soundproofing which could affect clients’ confidentiality.

Updated 19 December 2016

See overall summary.