- Residential substance misuse service
New Oakwood Lodge, Phoenix Futures Derbyshire Residential Service
Assessment report published 2 April 2026
Contents
Ratings - Residential substance misuse services
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 24 and 25 February 2026
New Oakwood Lodge, Phoenix Futures Derbyshire Residential Service is based in Derby. It is a 38-bedded rehabilitation and enhanced Therapeutic Community which supports people to recover from substance misuse, who may also have co-existing mental health problems. The service offers personalised programmes designed to meet the needs of people with substance misuse and addiction. Treatment programmes include personal and behavioural development interventions, re-lapse prevention, harm reduction, and peer-led groups and meetings.
Accommodation comprised of single occupancy rooms with en-suite bathrooms, and separate male and female accommodation. Accessible rooms were also available. The service is registered to provide the regulated activity: Accommodation for persons who require treatment for substance misuse. We assessed all 33 quality statements across the five key questions: safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led. The service registered with the care quality commission (CQC) in November 2022. This was our first assessment of the service.
New Oakwood Lodge provided a safe, therapeutic, and personalised environment focused on rehabilitation, recovery and community reintegration. The environment was clean, well-maintained, and appropriate for the care and support it provided. Care and treatment were consistently delivered in line with national guidance and best practice, to ensure the service achieved consistent outcomes. Staff demonstrated skill and innovation, delivered a wide range of interventions, including psychosocial and psychological therapies, vocational and educational support, and a structured activity programme. People had made consistent progress towards independence and personal goals, with proactive risk assessments and an effective management structure in place. People told us they felt empowered, fully involved in decision-making, and supported to develop independence and control around their care. Were appropriate families, friends and carers were involved, and staff supported people to maintain meaningful community connections and networks. There was effective leadership in place. Leaders were visible, supportive, and promoted a positive culture of learning, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the service.
Mental Capacity Act Compliance Summary
During our assessment, we evaluated the service’s compliance with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). People were supported to engage in decisions about their treatment, with access to independent advocacy, community mental health services (CMHT) and second opinion appointed doctors were required, providing safeguards for those who lacked capacity. There was no evidence of systemic overuse or misuse of restrictive powers or practices, and leaders emphasised person-centred decision making if restrictions were necessary.
Staff consistently assessed people’s capacity under the Mental Capacity Act to make specific decisions using the two-stage test and documented the assessments thoroughly. When people lacked capacity, relevant professionals made decisions in their best interests after consulting the multidisciplinary team, families, and advocates. They clearly recorded the rationale, who was consulted, and what options had been considered. Reasonable adjustments were made to support people in understanding and involvement in decision-making, including easy-read materials and adapted communication methods. Governance of Mental Capacity Act practices were effective, with regular audits of capacity assessments and best-interest decisions. Staff received ongoing training in the mental capacity act, human rights, and equality to ensure decisions upheld people’s rights and dignity.
The service demonstrated good compliance with the Mental Capacity Act. Staff applied legal frameworks appropriately, maintained a balance between care, protection, and autonomy, and ensured people were involved as much as possible. Governance systems supported compliance, and the service showed a clear commitment to respecting people’s rights which ensured the delivery of safe, effective and person-centred care.
People's experience of this service
We spoke with 6 people using the service, and 6 family members. All the people and their loved ones were extremely positive about the service. They said it was the best rehabilitation service they had been to, as it had provided them with the tools and support to recover and succeed. People felt that staff were compassionate and went the “extra mile” to support them and said the programme and core service groups were amazing. They praised the staff at the service. Some felt they didn’t want to leave but when they did, they knew they would receive continued support.
People were planning on entering onto training programmes and wanted to return to employment or charity-based activity, and they had learnt new skills to move onto independent living as well as improving their confidence. Staff had supported them to live healthier lives and had accessed yoga, meditation and massage whilst at the service.
Feedback about communication was positive. People consistently highlighted staff’s proactive and supportive communication. They described how staff were consistently available outside group and treatment times if they needed support. They felt they could approach staff at any time and told us staff were always there for them. We reviewed online reviews which were on the provider’s website. All the reviews were provided by people who had previously used the service and had rated it very highly. People attended daily community meetings to discuss and share any positive, or negative experiences and to offer support to one another.
The daily community meeting facilitated a needs and feelings agenda, and any items raised were taken promptly to the staff team for address and was a structured part of staffs’ morning handover meeting. The needs and feelings agenda enabled people to share positive experiences, and they also supported each other to raise concerns, or ideas for improvement. People reported that the rehabilitation programme was excellent which had a focus on enhancing their daily living skills, such as cooking, cleaning, making their own shopping lists as well as doing their
own washing and budgeting.