Addcounsel Limited

Addcounsel is an independent healthcare provider offering assessment and treatment to adults with mental health concerns or substance misuse. This service was inspected in 2018, but was not rated. During this inspection we rated the service for the first time.

We rated it as requires improvement because:

• Documentation was not always available to show staff were recruited safely and robustly or that they had received basic training to keep themselves and clients safe.
• The service was not adequately assured their sessional staff were receiving supervision and appraisals.
• Medication administration charts were not always fully completed. There were gaps when prescribing as required medicines, such as doctors’ signatures and maximum doses.
• Governance processes did not always operate effectively, for example, the service did not always hold governance meetings within the timeframes they had set out.
• The service did not always highlight potential ligature points throughout the service.
• At the time of inspection, clinical areas were visibly clean. However, cleaning records were not always completed in full. Since the inspection the service has provided updated cleaning records.

However:

• Staff developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. They provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of the clients and in line with national guidance about best practice. Staff engaged in clinical audit to evaluate the quality of care they provided.
• The service had access to the full range of specialists required to meet the needs of clients under their care. Staff from different disciplines worked together as a team to benefit clients. They supported each other to make sure clients had no gaps in their care.
• Staff treated clients with compassion and kindness and understood the individual needs of clients.
• Staff involved clients in care planning and risk assessment and actively sought their feedback on the quality of care provided. They ensured that clients had easy access to additional support.
• Leaders had the skills, knowledge and experience to perform their roles and had a good understanding of the services they managed. Leaders were visible in the service and approachable for clients and staff.