Change Grow Live - Brighton & Hove

Updated 13 October 2021

Change Grow Live – Brighton & Hove (also known as Brighton and Hove recovery service) is part of a national Change Grow Live provider who deliver a not-for-profit drug and alcohol treatment service.

The service provides specialist community treatment and support for adults affected by

substance misuse who live in Brighton and Hove.

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 and hepatitis C testing.

The service works in partnership across Brighton and Hove and with other agencies, including social services, probation, GPs and pharmacies.

This was the first time we have inspected Change Grow Live – Brighton & Hove.

The service was registered for the following regulated activity: Treatment of disease, disorder or injury. The service was registered on 16 September 2020. There was a registered manager at the service.

What people who use the service say

Clients told us that staff were respectful and polite. They said staff were caring and genuinely interested in their wellbeing. Clients felt that the service and the staff were non-judgemental. Clients told us that staff are always visible and they could access a doctor in a timely way.

Clients told us that they received advice from the doctor about medications and that their care was reviewed regularly. Clients felt involved in their reviews on a regular basis.

However, Clients told us that they were unaware of how often they should be contacted by their recovery co-ordinator. One client had not been contacted since their triage appointment four months previous. Another client told us that they would like to be contacted more than every two weeks.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, therapeutic interventions were being facilitated over zoom. Clients told us that they would prefer face to face interventions but acknowledged that video calls were better than telephone calls. Face to face meetings had been interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most clients told us that they had not received a copy of their recovery plans.

Updated 13 October 2021

Change Grow Live – Brighton & Hove provides specialist community treatment and support for adults affected by substance misuse who live in Brighton and Hove.

We rated it as good because:

• Staff went above and beyond to support, inform and involve families or carers. The Families and Carers Team had a programme delivered by the service which supported individuals affected by someone suffering with addiction(s). They provide signposting, advice and guidance, one to one counselling, and psychosocial intervention in order to support these individuals who are indirectly impacted by substance misuse.
• The service was in discussion with the local police force to hold naloxone pens whilst on patrol. The service was setting up five needle exchange dispensers across the city.
• People could access services and appointments in a way and at a time that suited them. The service ensured accessibility to the service for all clients and arranged taxis or conducted home visits for those clients who had difficulty accessing the service. The service ran groups on Thursday evenings and ran assessments on Saturday mornings for those in work or who could not attend at any other time.
• Staff from different disciplines worked together as a team to benefit clients. They supported each other to make sure clients had no gaps in their care. The team had strong, effective working relationships with other relevant teams within the organisation and were committed to working collaboratively with other relevant services outside the organisation to ensure joined up care for people who use services.
• Staff assessed and managed risks to clients and themselves well. They responded promptly to sudden deterioration in clients’ physical and mental health. Staff made clients aware of harm minimisation and the risks of continued substance misuse. Safety planning was an integral part of recovery plans.
• Staff completed comprehensive assessments with clients on accessing the service. They worked with clients to develop individual recovery plan and updated them as needed. Recovery plans reflected the assessed needs, were personalised, holistic and recovery oriented.
• Staff treated clients with compassion and kindness. Clients told us that staff treated them well and behaved kindly towards them. We observed staff engaging in a compassionate and non-judgemental manner with clients.
• Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They reported that the provider promoted equality and diversity in its day-to-day work and in providing opportunities for career progression. They felt able to raise concerns without fear of retribution.
• Leaders had the skills, knowledge and experience to perform their roles, had a good understanding of the services they managed, and were visible in the service and approachable for clients and staff. All staff we spoke with were complimentary about the leadership and support provided by the service manager and the deputy manager. Staff felt there was a strong and consistent management structure, who were emotionally supportive and genuinely cared about the wellbeing of staff as well as the service.

However:

• Most clients that we spoke to told us that they did not have a copy of their care plan.
• Staff had variable understanding of what to do if a client’s capacity to make decisions about their care might be impaired.
• We observed that conversations could be heard through the wall of the interview room located within the reception waiting area.

Updated 13 October 2021