• Community
  • Community substance misuse service

Archived: Stockton DAIS Harm Reduction Service

1st Floor 17-18, High Street, Stockton On Tees, Cleveland, TS18 1SP (01642) 613358

Provided and run by:
Change, Grow, Live

All Inspections

15 June 2013

During a routine inspection

The majority of Stockton DAIS Harm Reduction Service aims to provides advice and practical support around dealing with all aspects of substance misuse. Most aspects of the service are not regulated as under the Health and Social Care Act they are not defined as treatment or diagnosis and screening. CQC has registered this service in relation to the work the nurse completes around assessing minor injuries; completing HIV, Hep B and C and Chlamydia screening; giving advice on injecting and completing health checks; and providing Hep B vaccinations. Therefore we looked specifically at this part of the service during the inspection.

We met two people who used the service and spoke with all the staff on duty. We found that the the nurse was extremely supportive; treated people with humanity and was very knowledgeable. Staff discussed the role of the nurse and how this meant people could quickly have any immediate health care needs reviewed and could deal with their needs in a non-judgmental environment. We found that the nurse assisted people to access appropriate treatment and supported them through all stages of their care.

We heard that people can drop in or make a specific appointment, and found that the nurse was extremely effective at maintaining contact with people who led transient life styles. We saw that she had an effective system in place for maintaining sufficient supplies of vaccinations and for their administration.

16 July 2012

During a routine inspection

Stockton DAIS Harm Reduction Service provides substance misuse treatment but this is in the form of brief interventions (discussions with people around the impact their addiction is having and encouraging them to address their habit), and completing assessments around what treatment would best suit a person's needs. The team undertaking these tasks do not include any healthcare professionals working in their registered capacity or provide treatment as defined by the Health and Social Care Act so are not included as elements of this CQC registration. The regulated activities the service provides relates to the nurse working at the centre. These consist of her practices assessing minor injuries to determine if people need to go to their GP; minor injury units or A&E, completing HIV, Hep B and C and Chlamydia screening, completing health checks; showing people safe ways to reduce the risk associated with their addiction; and providing Hep B vaccinations. Therefore when speaking to people who used the service we concentrate on this part of the service.

During the visit, we spoke with three people who used the service and as this was a routine visit we asked people what the service was like; and what people thought about the staff. The people told us that they found that the staff were very approachable and that the nurse was extremely supportive. People told us that the nurse helped them to work through issues around whether or not to get various tests and she was always around to offer them support. We heard that people can drop in or make a specific appointment, as for some parts of the service they did need an appointment, but if they got sidetracked and missed this, the nurse was vey understanding. People said, 'The nurse is great and really helpful', 'I missed an appointment with the nurse and she was brilliant, just gave me another, no questions asked' and, 'The nurse has gone through everything with me'.