The Care Quality Commission
  • Residential substance misuse service

Cherry Tree Cottage

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

16 Flint Green Road, Acocks Green, Birmingham, West Midlands, B27 6QA 0300 999 0330

Provided and run by:
New Leaf Recovery Services Ltd

Important: The provider of this service changed. See old profile

All Inspections

During an assessment of Substance misuse services

We assessed Cherry Tree Cottage (New Leaf Recovery) on 10 February 2026.

The inspection team consisted of 2 CQC mental health inspectors, 1 CQC medicines inspector, and 1 Specialist Advisor.

This was a comprehensive assessment including all quality statements.

The registered manager told us that clients can very rarely be funded by the local authority, but most clients were self-funded.

We found 3 breaches of the following regulations: Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment, Regulation 17: Good Governance and Regulation 18: Staffing. We identified issues around medicines management, patient records/treatment, HR records and supervision, staff training, oversight of audits and policies and incident reporting. Staff did not always complete comprehensive assessments of clients before initiating detox. Employment records were not always complete. Governance systems and audits were not always effective in identifying or addressing areas for improvement.

The provider had employed a compliance lead prior to the inspection and had started processes to employ a new registered manager.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.

During an assessment of the hospital overall

We assessed Cherry Tree Cottage (New Leaf Recovery) onsite on 10 February 2026. We also conducted offsite inspection activity following this until the end of February 2026.

This was a routine assessment. At the last assessment in 2019, the service was rated good overall.

Cherry Tree Cottage was registered with CQC in June 2017 to deliver the regulated activities: Accommodation for persons who require treatment for substance misuse and Treatment of disease, disorder or injury. The service had a registered manager who had been in post for around 18 months. Since our assessment, a new registered manager has been appointed.

Cherry Tree Cottage is a 7 room and 10 bedded residential substance misuse service owned by New Leaf Recovery. This is the only branch the provider operates from, and it is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

At this assessment we rated the service as requires improvement overall. The provider was in breach of Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment, Regulation 17: Good Governance and Regulation 18: Staffing. We identified issues around medicines management, patient records/treatment, HR records and supervision, staff training, oversight of audits and policies and incident reporting. At this assessment we assessed 1 assessment service group; substance misuse services.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.

26 February 2019

During a routine inspection

We rated Cherry Tree Cottage as good because:

  • The service provided safe care. The environment was safe and clean. There were enough support staff, and medical staff to provide safe care and treatment. Staff assessed and managed risk well. They minimised the use of restrictive practices, managed medicines safely and followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.
  • Staff developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment in conjunction with clients. They provided a range of therapy and therapeutic activity suitable to the needs of the clients in line with national best practice guidance. Staff engaged in clinical audit to evaluate the quality of care they provided.
  • Staff treated clients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity and understood the individual needs of clients. They actively involved clients in care decisions and involved family members where appropriate.
  • Staff planned and managed discharge well, offered aftercare through their own service and liaised well with other services that would provide aftercare. The service had clear procedures in place for people who requested to leave the service unexpectedly.
  • The service worked to a recognised model of rehabilitation. It was well led and the governance processes ensured that the service ran smoothly. Following the CQC inspection in 2017, the service promptly undertook all areas of improvement we told them they must and should make.