Turning Point Somerset Maltravers House

Updated 7 November 2018

Turning Point Somerset provides support to people with drug and alcohol problems across five geographical locations. Services are provided from Yeovil (Maltravers House, which is the main registered location), Taunton, Bridgwater, Frome, Street and Minehead. Street and Minehead are part time hubs. Across the five locations the service provides care and treatment for approximately 1200 people at any given time. The service was commissioned by Somerset County Council in February 2014 as part of an integrated specialist drug and alcohol service for adults and young people.

The specialist drug and alcohol service is made of three providers, one of which is Turning Point, working in partnership to deliver one overall treatment service. The partner agency which handles the initial contact and engagement element of the service are also regulated by the Care Quality Commission but not inspected on this occasion. The second agency offers housing support. Turning Point specifically provides treatment for those accessing prescribing interventions.

The service offers substitute prescribing (drugs and alcohol), access to detoxification and residential rehabilitation and signposting or referral to other agencies. They also offer harm reduction advice and support, a peer mentoring programme, testing and vaccination for blood borne viruses, brief interventions, outreach, group work, individual and one to one therapy, and engagement and re-engagement. The service also offers structured treatment for a very small cohort of young people. Appointments for this service do not take place in the adult service hubs, but instead in GP surgeries, schools and other community settings.

The service is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide the regulated activity of Treatment of Disease, Disorder or Injury. It has a registered manager in place. Somerset County Council is the lead commissioning partner. We last inspected this service on 13 April 2018 as a focussed inspection following a comprehensive inspection 20 – 23 September 2016.   Start here...

Updated 7 November 2018

We rated Turning Point Somerset as good because;

• Staff managed risk safely and effectively. Risk assessments and risk management plans were comprehensive, of a high standard and regularly updated. There were clear and robust policies in place for safeguarding adults and children.
• Staff were confident and competent at identifying when adults or children were at risk of avoidable harm and a robust system was in place for the management and review of safeguarding concerns.
• Prescribers followed “Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management (2017)” and the relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines to a high standard. Prescribers reviewed all clients every three months and their keyworkers communicated well with prescribers in-between reviews.

• Clients accessed prescribing appointments easily. Through use of the teleconferencing system, the clinical lead reviewed clients anywhere in the county when urgent appointments were required.

• Care plans were collaborative, person-centred and holistic. They contained information highlighted at assessments and were regularly reviewed. Discharge care planning was comprehensive and timely, with the option to be brought back into treatment three months after discharge if the client needed further support.
• The service had an approachable and experienced registered manager. The senior management team and risk and assurance team had created highly comprehensive governance systems and ensured processes were consistent across all teams. 
• Staff morale across all sites was high and staff were exceptionally proud of the work they did.

Updated 7 November 2018