Phoenix Futures Wirral Residential Service

Updated 24 July 2026

We assessed Phoenix Futures Wirral Residential Service on 21 and 22 January 2026.

We assessed the service in January 2019, when it was rated as good

Phoenix Futures Wirral Residential Service was registered with CQC in December 2012 to deliver the regulated activity of: accommodation for persons who require treatment for substance misuse. The service had a registered manager, who had been in post since March 2023.

At this assessment we assessed 1 assessment service group: residential substance misuse service.

We rated the service as outstanding. We found no breaches of regulation.

Updated 30 October 2025

The date of assessment was 21 to 22 January 2026.

Phoenix Futures Wirral Residential Service is a residential substance misuse service. This service is part of a charitable and a not‑for‑profit housing association. The service provides up to 35 places for people, known as community members, to live while they recover from drug or alcohol problems in a therapeutic community. A therapeutic community is designed to encourage the development of life and social skills through daily work, activities, routines and therapeutic groups. Structured groups include cognitive behavioural therapy. The service offered a drug‑ and alcohol‑free setting that focuses mainly on rehabilitation, although it can offer some limited detoxification support. The treatment is medically monitored, meaning healthcare professionals oversee the process, but it is less clinical and more focused on therapy than a fully medically managed service.

Community members stay in a large house in a suburban area of the Wirral, near Liverpool. A team of drug and alcohol recovery workers and volunteers help them through one‑to‑one sessions, group sessions, and alternative therapies.

When community members first arrive, they spend a few weeks in a separate stage of the service called the ‘welcome house’ to help them settle in. After that, they move into the main house for the rest of the programme, which lasts between three and six months.

Community members help run the house each day and support each other. Community members are involved in the domestic, catering and maintenance activities of the building and complete appropriate training to undertake these activities. More experienced residents act as “buddies” for newcomers.

When someone finishes the programme, staff help them move into supported housing or into their own accommodation. Most recovery workers and the management team have graduated through the programme and are employed at the service.

During this assessment we reviewed community members care and treatment records, carried out a tour of the environment and spoke to ten members of staff, including the registered manager, service and operations managers.

Community members’ capacity to understand the rules and boundaries of the therapeutic community was discussed with people prior to admission, so they could understand the treatment model and consent to participating in it. People could access the service through self-referral, their GP or commissioners.