Care Quality Commission – Humankind

Tag: Care Quality Commission

Cumbria’s community drug and alcohol treatment service rated ‘Good’ across the board by Care Quality Commission

Jack Keery

An image of the Recovery Steps Cumbria team

Humankind, in partnership with The Well Communities, is proud to announce that Recovery Steps Cumbria has received a rating of “Good” in all areas from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England.

The community-based service in Cumbria offers a range of support including clinical, health and wellbeing, access to employability coaches and connections to housing.

This is the first CQC review of Recovery Steps Cumbria since it began operating in October 2021 and underlines the early progress made by our team and partners. To date, the service has supported 2,952 people across Cumbria.

In particular, the CQC praised our workforce for treating the people they support “with compassion and kindness”, noting that they “understood the individual needs of clients” while ensuring they “actively involved clients in decisions and care planning”.

The Recovery Steps Cumbria team were further commended for their ability to assess and manage risk, and their adherence to good practice and safeguarding procedures. The care plans they developed were described as holistic, recovery-oriented, and informed by comprehensive assessments.

The CQC also recognised the multidisciplinary approach of teams across our Cumbria hubs, which gave access to the full range of necessary specialists. This care was “easy to access”, with staff planning and managing discharge well and developing alternative pathways for people whose needs it could not meet.

Finally, the CQC recognised that Recovery Steps Cumbria was well led, with governance processes that ensured that its procedures ran smoothly.

Paul Johnson, Commissioning Manager for Children, Adults and Public Health at Cumbria County Council said:

“We are delighted to see the commissioned Cumbria Addictions Service consistently received ‘Good’ across the board in its recent CQC inspection, after just a year of being in operation. Particularly so as it had to get the new service up and running during the pandemic.

“We look forward to working together with our provider over the coming months and years to make this an ‘Outstanding’ service.”

Rachel Savchenko, Operations Director for the North West at Humankind, said:

“It is testament to our people at all levels that we have received a ‘Good’ rating across the board in Recovery Steps Cumbria’s first CQC review.

“We are excited to continue serving our community by providing the support and resources necessary for individuals to achieve lasting recovery.”

Becky White, Area Manager at Recovery Steps Cumbria, said:

“We are pleased to receive this recognition from the CQC and are fully dedicated to continuing to provide such safe, compassionate, and effective care to the people of Cumbria.

“I would like to thank our fantastic teams for all their hard work and commitment since the launch of Recovery Steps Cumbria. We know that we are progressing every day and hope to build on this rating further.”

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Calderdale Recovery Steps rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission

Jack Keery

The Calderdale Recovery Steps team pose for a picture at a Hep C elimination event

Calderdale Recovery Steps, the West Yorkshire borough’s community alcohol and drug service, has been rated ‘Outstanding’ in recognition of the caring and proactive support it provides. 

The rating was provided by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England. It found that Calderdale Recovery Steps, which is led by Humankind and delivered in partnership with The Basement Recovery Project, is an “Outstanding” service, particularly in the categories of being Caring and Responsive. 

According to the report, the service is a place that finds “innovative ways of delivering more joined up care to clients, particularly those with complex needs”, where the “passionate, highly motivated” staff are “consistent in supporting clients to live healthier lives”. 

Cllr Sarah Courtney, Cabinet Member for Towns, Engagement and Public Health at Calderdale Council, said: “We are delighted, but unsurprised, at this very well-deserved result. 

“Both Humankind and The Basement Recovery project have worked incredibly hard, in partnership with our whole system, to ensure that our services respond to the needs of people and places in Calderdale. Everyone involved in the service should feel very proud of this result and the recognition of the outstanding practice that’s making a real difference in our community.”  

Emily Todd, Regional Director at Humankind, said: “I am extremely proud of this CQC Outstanding result in Calderdale, which reflects the dedication and hard work of our staff teams.  

“Our services in Calderdale deliver a wide range of support to people and always take an innovative approach to working with the most vulnerable in our society with recovery and harm reduction at its core. 

“The relationships we have built with The Basement Recovery Project, our commissioners and other key partners allow us to effectively challenge health inequalities and save lives.” 

The CQC stated that: “leaders at all levels of the service were compassionate, inclusive and effective.” 

The CQC inspectors continue: “Clients from the adult and young persons’ service, told us staff respected and valued them as individuals and thought staff exceeded their expectations in supporting their emotional and practical needs. Staff treated people with compassion, kindness and empowered them to be active partners in their own care.” 

Calderdale Recovery Steps joins other Humankind-led services in being rated outstanding by the CQC during 2022, including Forward Leeds and County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service.  

The full report is available to read online from the CQC website: https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-10085964179

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Forward Leeds rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission

Jack Keery

Forward Leeds staff at the city’s hub on Kirkgate in the city centre

Forward Leeds, the Humankind-led alcohol and drug service in Leeds, is “highly innovative” and a place where, “staff always go the extra mile to support clients” according to a recent assessment.

The comments were made following a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of health and social care in England. The CQC say Forward Leeds is “Outstanding”, overall and is “Outstanding” in the categories of being Effective, Caring and Well-Led. Fewer than two per cent of services inspected receive the top overall rating of Outstanding.

Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for public health and active lifestyles, said: “Drug and alcohol use poses a significant challenge to individuals and communities across the city. Forward Leeds play a vital role in addressing those challenges, helping individuals achieve and sustain recovery from drug and alcohol use.

“It is really pleasing therefore to see the positive improvements in the service, recognised in this outstanding rating, and I hope that this gives anybody struggling with drug or alcohol issues the confidence to seek support.”

Victoria Eaton, director of public health at Leeds City Council, said: “Forward Leeds receiving an outstanding rating is fantastic news and it is great recognition for everyone involved in delivering drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services across the city.

“It is really pleasing to see the service, commissioned by Leeds Public Health, improve in the latest Care Quality Commission Inspection and become one of the few drug and alcohol services to be rated as outstanding in the country.”

Forward Leeds Director, Lee Wilson said: “This is fantastic news for our service and the city. If the report highlights one thing above anything else, it’s that we are a caring service whose staff always do the best for the people they support. The report shows the level of commitment our teams have to deliver the best possible service and outcomes for people using our service as well as their families and loved ones.”

The report states that the service: “truly considered the needs of different groups of people using its service” and that: “staff treated clients with compassion and kindness and respect”.

The CQC inspectors continue: “Feedback from people who used the service was overwhelmingly positive” and “clients told us that staff had really helped them to move forward with their lives”.

Former user of the service Mathew Sharp said: “It is fantastic to see Forward Leeds recognised as an outstanding service. It was remarkable to have their support and help through my recovery. They are always there for you. The staff are amazing, they work with you, they understand what you’re going through and will help you understand yourself”.

This commendation follows the CQC assessing the County Durham Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service as “Outstanding”  in April and the Staffordshire Treatment and Recovery Service (STARS) as “Good” in May.

To find out more about Forward Leeds, please visit their website: www.forwardleeds.co.uk

To read the full report, please visit the CQC website: www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-5026921980

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