Archived: Turning Point Suffolk Recovery Network

Updated 9 September 2016

Turning Point Suffolk Recovery Network provided substance misuse service across Suffolk. They offered a range of drug and alcohol services that helped people recover from addiction and gain control of their lives. Turning Point started their contract in April 2015 after taking over from six previous providers.

As part of this comprehensive inspection, we inspected the following locations:

Bury St Edmunds

Bury St Edmunds is a community team which offers specialist support to people with complex drug and alcohol problems in the surrounding area. Staff complete a comprehensive assessment with clients that help form a care plan. The service has a doctor, wellbeing nurse, psychiatrist and psychologist to help support those in recovery. The service can provide stabilisation, detoxification, one to one support to help people to stop using illicit substances and treat alcohol misuse. Staff can assess clients for substance dependency and apply for funding to refer them to a residential rehabilitation facility for treating addiction.

The provider offered services to both adults and young people. The provider accepted self-referral, referral from a GP and other professionals. Treatment is free to clients.

Ipswich:

Ipswich Turning point offered support to those people living in the Ipswich area who need help with substance misuse and addiction. This is also a community service, which offered stabilisation, detoxification and maintenance for clients using illicit substances or alcohol. There is a multidisciplinary team of staff, such as a doctor, nurses, psychiatrist and psychologist.

The community team also have youth workers who see young people affected by substance use.

The provider accepted self-referral, referral from a GP and other professionals. Treatment is free to clients.

Lowestoft:

Turning Pont Lowestoft is a community treatment centre, which offers help and support to those people wishing to recover from substance and alcohol abuse. The service had a welcome café, recovery meetings, one to one support, group work, a range of holistic therapies. These services are provided by a range of recovery workers, nurses, doctors, and psychiatrist.

The service accepted self-referral, referral from a GP and other professionals. Treatment is free to clients. All three locations had a needle exchange and a welcome café where people wishing to use the service can drop in. Staff offered advice, information, made referrals and offered alternative therapies such as acupuncture and reiki.

Turning Point has a Criminal Justice Team to support clients who have been given a treatment order from courts or have been released from custody.

All three services are registered by the CQC to provide the following regulated activities:

• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

The provider's website lists other services it delivers:

• Dedicated services along with community support in GP surgeries, pharmacies and other community sites across Suffolk

• A Roving Recovery Vehicle bringing support to people who need it most

• Partnerships with local services including employment, criminal justice and housing to support ongoing recovery.

The provider registered with the Care Quality Commission on 31 March 2015.

Updated 9 September 2016

We do not currently rate independent standalone substance misuse services.

We found the following issues that the service provider needs to improve:

• Across locations, the alarm system varied and were not regularly tested. In Ipswich the alarm panel was on the third floor and in Lowestoft, the alarm recognition panel was out of direct sight.

• Staff did not complete and update client paperwork in the files we reviewed. Staff did not regularly update risk assessments when a client’s situation changed.

• Staff sent clients who had not turned up to appointments a letter that stated they would need to represent if they needed additional help. Staff followed this procedure even after a client’s previous appointment reflected they were feeling suicidal.

• Staff did not always complete care plans. Objectives were not holistic, individualistic or specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound. Four clients did not know they had a care plan or had received a copy.

• Staff were not following all standard clinical procedures as set by guidelines. For example, emergency medication was not stored in accordance with the manufactures guidelines. Clinical waste was not disposed of appropriately and some bins were not secure. There was evidence of out of date needle exchange stock.

• Managers had not completed clinical staff supervision regularly. Some files had gaps, notes and some signatures were missing. Staff appraisals were not up to date.

However, we found the following areas of good practice:

• Clients gave positive feedback during our visit. They said staff were genuine, caring and supportive. Clients felt positive about being in recovery and motivated to attend sessions. We saw staff offering support, being positive and had an engaging manor toward clients.

• The provider had invested in training clients to become peer support workers or mentors. The volunteer coordinator delivered this training.

• Staff were organised and managed the logging and ordering of prescriptions in a safe way. Prescription administration was completed in a timely manner and staff had advice from the pharmacy if needed.

• The provider held morning ‘flash meetings’ at each location where staff could discuss individual client cases. Staff gave hand overs, discussed incidents and were given updates from managers.

• The provider offered a variety of interventions for clients to access. These included low-level interventions, which might help a person who is new to recovery, seek help or higher levels of treatment.

• The provider accepts self-referrals and referrals from other professionals such as GP’s, courts and social workers and treatment if free of charge.

• The provider employs a range of staff to deliver for care and treatment. For example, recovery workers, peer mentors, wellbeing nurses and a psychiatrist.