- Community substance misuse service
CGL Sefton
Assessment report published 6 August 2026
Contents
Ratings - Community-based substance misuse services
Our view of the service
We inspected CGL Sefton on the 5 and 6 May 2026. This is the first inspection of this service since it was registered with the CQC in May 2022.
CGL Sefton is an integrated community substance misuse service provided and run by Change, Grow, Live (CGL). The service provides community-based care and treatment to individuals who require support drug and/or alcohol use including harm minimisation, psychosocial interventions, opiate substitute therapy and community detoxification programmes.
The service is delivered from 2 main hubs in Southport and Bootle. We visited both premises as part of this inspection.
The service provided safe care. The premises where clients were seen were clean and fit for purpose. The service had enough staff to deliver care. Staff assessed and managed risk well and followed good practice with respect to safeguarding. There were systems in place to ensure safe prescribing and management of medicines. The service reported and managed safety incidents appropriately.
Care and treatment were delivered in line with national guidance and best practice. Staff completed a comprehensive assessment of clients’ needs and delivered holistic care. Clients had access to a range of staff and support to help meet their needs. Staff worked well together as a multidisciplinary team (MDT). Staff engaged in clinical audit to evaluate the quality of care they provided.
Staff supported clients with dignity, respect, compassion and kindness. Clients had choice and control over their treatment and support. Staff empowered clients to have a voice and ensured they were active partners in care. Support was available for staff to ensure their safety and wellbeing.
The service demonstrated a holistic, person-centred approach in the delivery of care. Staff had positive working relationships with external teams and organisations. They worked well with other organisations to promote the best outcomes for their clients, and to ensure they got the support they needed. Clients and staff were aware of how to raise concerns or make a complaint.
Managers were experienced and had a good understanding of the service. Staff knew and understood the provider’s vision and values and how they applied to the work of their team. The provider monitored and managed the service effectively. There was a commitment to service improvement and innovation. A 3-year service improvement plan and strategy had been developed and was being implemented.
Mental Capacity Act / Consent to Treatment Overview
Staff had completed training in the Mental Capacity Act and demonstrated an understanding of the 5 guiding principles. They were able to recognise when an individual’s capacity to consent to treatment may be in doubt and knew how to access advice and support. There were referral pathways into local mental health services where specialist input was required.
There were protocols in place to support staff when clients attended the service with impaired capacity as a result of intoxication from alcohol or illicit substance use. Staff had access to appropriate equipment, such as alcohol breathalysers to estimate client’s blood alcohol level. Staff we spoke with were confident in how to manage such situations.
People's experience of this service
We spoke with 5 clients and 4 carers during our assessment.
Feedback from clients and carers was positive. They described staff as kind, caring and compassionate and told us staff treated them with respect and dignity. They considered staff to be supportive and responsive to their needs.
Clients we spoke with told us that staff treated them as individuals and took the time to understand their needs. They told us they were encouraged to express their views and opinions and were supported to make decisions about their care and treatment. Clients described person-centered and holistic care and gave examples of how the service had supported them to address their substance misuse. 2 clients told us that the service had “changed their life”.
Carers were positive about the treatment their loved one received and told us staff involved them where appropriate and took the time to answer their questions. They felt supported by the service and praised the carers groups that they attended.
Clients and carers were able to provide feedback about the service in several ways, including through surveys, comment boxes, the provider’s complaints process and through face-to-face discussions with staff.