The County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service, operated by Humankind, has been rated as ‘Outstanding’ in recognition of the caring and supportive service it provides.
The service, which provides free and confidential support to more than 3,800 people each year, received the rating following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in February.
The service was determined to be outstanding overall and for being caring and responsive, and rated good for being safe, well-led and effective. The accolade of Outstanding is a big step forward for the service which had previously been rated as requires improvement overall.
Speaking about the rating Ted Haughey, Executive Director of Operations at Humankind, said:
“We are delighted to have received the CQC report for County Durham following the recent CQC inspection that has rated our service as outstanding. As an organisation Humankinds roots are from the North East and our Head Office is based in County Durham so it means a lot to us organisationally as well.
“We are very proud of the service and this rating is testament to the hard work, talent and dedication of the whole team across the county. The inspection gives us the external assurance about the quality of the service and we will continue to work closely with Durham County Council, wider stakeholders and people who use the service to develop the service further and increase the positive impact we have for individuals, their families and communities across County Durham.”
Brian Cranna, CQC’s head of hospital inspection, said:
“When we inspected the service, we were extremely impressed. 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.
“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.
CQC particularly praised:
- The innovative approaches that were offered to meet the needs of a range of people who used the service, including the mobile public health facility which engages with people who live in rural areas.
- The way that staff provided solutions that enable people to manage their own health and care when they could and to maintain independence as much as possible.
- The fact that staff went the extra mile, and their care and support exceeded their expectations.
- The positive culture that exists throughout the service with staff saying that they felt respected, supported and valued and proud to be part of the organisation’s future direction.
County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service is commissioned by Durham County Council and run in partnership with Spectrum Community Health CIC. The service has locations across the county, to find out more about it visit https://humankindcharity.org.uk/service/county-durham-drug-and-alcohol-recovery-service/.
The full CQC report can be viewed by clicking here.
