Archived: Turning Point Roads to Recovery - Gloucester

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.