The Care Quality Commission
  • Residential substance misuse service

Banbury Lodge

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

The Hawthorns, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX16 9FA

Provided and run by:
Sanctuary Banbury Limited

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

All Inspections

During an assessment of Residential substance misuse services

An assessment of Banbury Lodge took place between 30 April – 13 May 2025 using our Single Assessment Framework. As part of the assessment, we visited the service on 30 April 2025. We undertook this assessment following information of concern we had received and decided to conduct an assessment covering 33 quality statements across the five key questions, to assess if the service is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.

Banbury Lodge is operated by Sanctuary Banbury Limited, part of UK Addiction Treatment Services (UKAT) network. It was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in September 2017 and opened in April 2018. It is a 22 bed residential unit providing detoxification and rehabilitation programmes to clients over the age of 16 with substance misuse needs, including alcohol and/or opiate dependency. The service offers eating disorder treatment and also provides personalised treatment plans tailored to address behavioural disorders. The service provides care for clients who do not require 24-hour medical intervention, can self-care, and have full mental capacity. Admissions vary based on client need and range from two weeks to three months. The service uses a medically monitored detox model that provides a programme of psychological interventions focused on positive behaviour change, thinking, and emotional response.

The team that inspected Banbury Lodge comprised two CQC inspectors, one CQC pharmacist specialist and one specialist advisor. During the assessment we spoke to 17 staff of various roles. We spoke to 12 people who used the service, family members and carers. We reviewed 8 care records of people who used the service, and how the service was managing medicines. We observed a handover meeting and a community meeting. We reviewed a range of data including complaints, incidents and policies.

We last inspected the service in September 2022 and rated them as Good overall and Good across all key questions. At this inspection, we again rated the service Good overall and Good in all key questions. We identified that improvement was needed in some areas, such as management of risk and governance processes, however managers and staff had a clear vision for what they wanted to achieve at the service and were developing and implementing processes focussed on promoting a culture of delivering safe and quality care and treatment. The service had a new manager who started working for the service in November 2024 and was working closely with their staff team to successfully implement improvements.

Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act Compliance

Mental Health Act
Banbury Lodge did not admit people detained under the Mental Health Act.

Mental Capacity Act
The service provided care for clients who could consent to treatment. Staff supported clients to make decisions on their care for themselves and recorded capacity to consent. They knew where to get accurate advice on the Mental Capacity Act.

During an assessment of the hospital overall

An assessment of Banbury Lodge took place between 30 April – 13 May 2025 using our Single Assessment Framework. As part of the assessment, we visited the service on 30 April 2025. We undertook this assessment following information of concern we had received and decided to conduct an assessment covering 33 quality statements across the five key questions, to assess if the service is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.

Banbury Lodge is operated by Sanctuary Banbury Limited, part of UK Addiction Treatment Services (UKAT) network. It was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in September 2017 and opened in April 2018. It is a 22 bed residential unit providing detoxification and rehabilitation programmes to clients over the age of 16 with substance misuse needs, including alcohol and/or opiate dependency. The service offers eating disorder treatment and also provides personalised treatment plans tailored to address behavioural disorders. The service provides care for clients who do not require 24-hour medical intervention, can self-care, and have full mental capacity. Admissions vary based on client need and range from two weeks to three months. The service uses a medically monitored detox model that provides a programme of psychological interventions focused on positive behaviour change, thinking, and emotional response.

The team that inspected Banbury Lodge comprised two CQC inspectors, one CQC pharmacist specialist and one specialist advisor. During the assessment we spoke to 17 staff of various roles. We spoke to 12 people who used the service, family members and carers. We reviewed 8 care records of people who used the service, and how the service was managing medicines. We observed a handover meeting and a community meeting. We reviewed a range of data including complaints, incidents and policies.

We last inspected the service in September 2022 and rated them as Good overall and Good across all key questions. At this inspection, we again rated the service Good overall and Good in all key questions. We identified that improvement was needed in some areas, such as management of risk and governance processes, however managers and staff had a clear vision for what they wanted to achieve at the service and were developing and implementing processes focussed on promoting a culture of delivering safe and quality care and treatment. The service had a new manager who started working for the service in November 2024 and was working closely with their staff team to successfully implement improvements.

15 September 2022

During a routine inspection

Our rating of this location stayed the same. We rated it as good because:

  • The service provided safe care. The premises were safe and clinical areas were clean. The service had enough staff. Staff assessed and managed risk well and followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.
  • Staff developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. They provided a range of treatment and therapy suitable to the needs of the clients and in line with national guidance and best practice.
  • The team had access to specialists required to meet the needs of clients under their care. Managers ensured staff received training, supervision, and appraisal. Staff worked well together as a multidisciplinary team and with relevant services outside the organisation.
  • Staff treated clients with compassion and kindness and understood individual needs. They actively involved clients in decisions and care planning.
  • The service was easy to access. Staff planned and managed discharge well and had alternative referral pathways for people whose needs it could not meet.
  • The service was well led, and the governance processes ensured that its procedures ran smoothly.

However:

  • Shortages in housekeeping staff meant non-clinical areas were not always cleaned to a high standard.
  • Medicines management process improvements needed further embedding.
  • The provider’s strict focus on maintaining COVID-19 isolation measures resulted in multiple complaints, staff anxiety, a lack of medical presence, and lengthy isolation periods for clients in which they experienced segregation.

5 & 6 February 2019

During a routine inspection

This was our first inspection of Banbury Lodge. The service opened in April 2018.

We rated Banbury Lodge as Good because:

  • The service was fully staffed, with a range of well trained and experienced staff. Staff put into practice the service’s values, and had contact with managers at all levels, including the most senior.
  • The provider placed a significant emphasis on staff training and professional development.
  • The environment was clean, spacious and furnished to a high standard.
  • The service had the appropriate arrangements in place to support clients with their detoxification in line with national guidance
  • All clients had personalised and holistic care plans
  • Staff stored client information on a securely accessible electronic case management system with
  • other relevant records. Medical admissions records, including assessments, were stored in paper file separate from the electronic system. There were plans in place to address this.
  • Care planning tools consistently reflected the 12 step philosophy of the service.
  • Clients spoke very highly about their experiences of the service, their therapeutic relationships with staff and the impact the service had on their lives.
  • There were policies in place to manage risk, including to clients leaving treatment prematurely and clients who were at risk of self-harm. All clients had risk assessments and detailed risk management plans for every identified risk.
  • The service showed a commitment to quality improvement.