New Vision Bradford

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

This means we looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 85 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Client feedback about staff was overwhelmingly positive. All staff were discreet and responsive when caring for clients. Staff took time to interact with clients and those close to them in a respectful and considerate way. Clients told us they could visit the service outside of appointment times and that staff were always there to support them.

Staff understood and respected the individual needs of each patient and showed understanding and a non-judgmental attitude when caring for or discussing patients. Clients told us they felt they could speak openly to staff and tell them about issues related to both their substance misuse, or issues related to their home life, finances or any other concerns they had. One client told us “Staff don’t judge you; they always try help- the staff have been a lifesaver for me”. Another client told us “I would describe this as an outstanding service. Everybody [who uses the service] speak very highly of it here”. Clients told us that when they had issues within their home or personal life, staff would signpost them to other services, or where they were able to support directly, they did so, for example, liaising with housing support or social services.

Clients described staff as polite, non-judgemental and supportive. They told us that staff always maintained a positive outlook, with one client telling us “I have never seen a member of staff have an off day”.

Clients told us staff went above and beyond to support them. They told us about staff arranging last minute appointments, visiting their homes, going out of their way to accommodate their needs, and offering emotional support when clients were upset or distressed.

Client’s felt that staff offered them support that exceeded their expectations. One client told us staff spent a considerable amount of time of time with them after they had a panic attack and described how much they appreciated this.

All clients said staff treated them well and with kindness. They said they received strong encouragement from staff to remain abstinent, and this support was not just limited to appointment times. Several clients told us they contacted the service regularly and that staff would remind them of their goals and achievements or offer a friendly ear.

We observed staff and client interactions throughout the inspection, and these were all very positive. We saw that staff knew the clients well and appeared at ease when interacting with them. We observed staff showing clients genuine compassion and understanding.

We observed a group session and saw that the staff facilitator led the session in a very welcoming, open and friendly manner. They allowed each client to share their views and feelings and treated them with kindness, warmth and empathy.

All staff we spoke with were passionate and committed to delivering good care. Staff and clients both fed back that they had built good therapeutic relationships which they said formed a key part of their recovery.

We spoke with external stakeholders who told us staff always treated them with kindness and respect and that they observed staff treating clients in the same way.

Staff followed policy to keep client care and treatment confidential. Care records were stored securely, and documents were password protected. Clients disclosed personal information about themselves during group sessions and staff reminded everyone not to share this information with anyone else.

Staff recognised clients with mental health needs and ensured they received support from local mental health services.

The client group was diverse. Clients told us that staff understood and respected their personal, cultural, social and religious needs.

The service treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. All clients told us staff offered them help, emotional support and advice when they needed it. One client told us that when they lapsed from treatment staff had spent a lot of time supporting them and helped them to re-start treatment.

Staff supported clients who became distressed and helped them maintain their privacy and dignity. The service had a policy in place to manage violence and aggression. Staff we spoke with provided examples of when clients had become distressed or agitated and could explain the steps they had taken to support them.

The service made adjustments for disabled patients. There was access to premises for disabled clients and staff arranged for appointments to take place on the ground floor for those patients with mobility issues. Clients told us staff arrange home visits, if they were unable to attend the service due to mobility issues. Staff could also arrange home visits for clients who were struggling with their mental health. Staff were mindful of clients with anxiety and provided examples of how they had met clients at the door who were apprehensive about attending the service.

Staff ensured that patients could obtain information on treatments, local services, clients’ rights, and how to complain. There were a range of useful contact numbers on display for those entering the service. Clients confirmed they were offered information and signposted to external services on admission and reminded of this throughout their period of treatment.

The information provided was in a form accessible to the client group. There were easy read leaflets, and information provided in a variety of languages. Some clients had limited English and managers ensured that clients had easy access to interpreters and/or signers.

Staff ensured that clients had access to appropriate spiritual support for example, they liaised with local chaplains and Imams to ensure clients’ needs were met.

Care plans demonstrated people were actively involved in decision making and were supported to make their own choices about their care. People were supported to maintain networks that were important to them.

Staff considered client’s strengths, culture, background and any protected characteristics such as religion. Managers had recently employed a recovery worker from a specific background to support a particular client group that they were familiar with, and they told us they considered clients individual needs and preferences when allocating them a recovery worker.

Staff gathered information on clients including their background and social status which they said helped inform care and treatment.

Easy-read information was available for clients who needed this and there were information leaflets in a range of different languages.

Recovery plans included the clients’ choices and preferences. Staff described how they tried to promote client’s choice and control wherever possible.

We observed that clients were given choice and control in relation to their care. Options of treatments and tests were discussed and explained in full detail. Clients then had the full information available to them to make their own decisions in relation to the care they received.

Clients told us that staff listened to and understood their needs, views and wishes. They provided examples of how staff were quick to respond to these and took action to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. Many clients told us that staff had supported them in times of emotional distress or that they had reminded them of the care plans and goals when they felt at risk of relapsing. Clients told us staff arranged appointments at short notice and gave examples of when they had escalated their care to nurses within the service or to general hospital for emergencies.

Staff were aware of and dealt with any specific risk issues for each client. Care records showed that clients individual risks were recorded and updated. The recovery workers we spoke with had a good understanding of their client caseload and could provide examples of how they had responded to changes in risk.

The service employed dedicated Hepatitis C lead workers who were responsible for training staff on blood borne viruses and sexually transmitted infections. Managers described a recent campaign to promote blood borne viruses and sexually transmitted infection awareness and testing. The campaign included reaching out to as many clients as possible to arrange for Hepatitis C testing. The service then referred those clients who needed it into treatment. Managers told us this campaign had been a success. They told us they had successfully tested many clients who might not otherwise have been identified as needing treatment. One of the Hepatitis C workers was located at a city centre GP surgery. Part of their role involved working with people who were homeless or had no access to public funds. Managers described how the expansion of team and initiatives also included a dedicated Hepatitis C champion. The service monitored the effectiveness of its testing. The annual key performance indicator found that 98% of those who tested positive were referred into treatment with two percent of clients choosing to decline treatment.

Staff regularly visited client’s homes to complete one to one appointments, deliver food parcels, or to support clients to attend other services such as GPs or housing services.

The service strongly cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff we spoke with told us they felt respected, supported and valued. One staff member said: “I feel heard [by managers]”. Another said: “staff wellbeing is good- there is no divide between staff and managers”.

Managers allocated 2 hours each month for staff wellbeing, which took place off site. This gave the opportunity for staff to meet up and go for a coffee or a group activity. At the most recent staff wellbeing session, staff had gone bowling. Managers consulted with staff each month to seek feedback about how they wanted to spend their wellbeing time. Staff spoke positively about these sessions.

Staff told us there were many ‘ad hoc’ opportunities for them to talk about challenges they faced with their peers or line manager. Managers gave staff the opportunity to take time out after incidents and recognised when staff needed this.

Managers held reflective practice supervisions. These were team sessions led by a social worker within the service which managers said added an additional layer of support for staff and were introduced following staff feedback. The supervision sessions used reflective practice tools and enabled staff to discuss incidents and challenges, collectively and to identify learning.

Managers ensured that staff had access to support for their own physical and emotional health needs through an occupational health service.

Staff we spoke with all felt positive and proud about working for the provider and their team. Managers were proactive in recognising staff success in a variety of ways. At each morning ‘flash meeting’ the final agenda item was ‘good news stories and thankyous’. Staff described how this gave them the opportunity to talk about successes with clients and to thank their peers.

Staff told us their work was regularly acknowledged by managers. Managers recognised the success of staff at quarterly all staff meetings. Between 15 and 20 staff received certificates of recognition and a voucher at each meeting for their work on areas including service delivery, service user focus, and going above and beyond.

Managers kept a log of all staff recognition that had been fed back. Any staff member could provide written feedback about a peer or a manager, and we saw staff at all levels were proactive in doing so. Data for 2024 showed that there had been 127 instances of manager and staff actively recognising the work of their colleagues.

Volunteers told us the service held away days to promote wellbeing and that both staff and volunteers attended these. They said these focussed on relevant learning mixed with fun activities and described how these promoted team building and positive wellbeing.

Staff appraisals included conversations about career development and how this could be supported. Annual appraisals include objectives which managers reviewed throughout the year. Many staff told us managers encouraged and supported them in their career development with staff often describing how they had progressed within the service to more senior roles.