CGL Waltham Forest Adults Substance Misuse Service

This means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

The service maintained a strong safety culture, and staff reported, reviewed and learned from incidents through established governance processes. Leaders monitored incidents through live systems and discussed themes and actions in governance meetings, which supported learning and changes to practice. Staff described feeling confident to raise concerns and used structured processes to manage and escalate risk.

Staff embedded safeguarding processes from referral through to ongoing care. They screened referrals for safeguarding risks, responded promptly and worked with external partners such as the Multi‑Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and Multi‑Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC). Safeguarding activity was routinely monitored through trackers, audits and governance systems, and leaders had introduced safeguarding surgeries to strengthen oversight. Staff delivered harm reduction interventions, including naloxone provision and blood-borne virus screening, and involved people in managing risks.

Staff supported coordinated pathways, including referral, follow-up and engagement processes that reduced the risk of people being lost to services. Medicines management, infection prevention and control and environmental safety arrangements were in place and supported safe care. Staffing levels were sufficient, and staff reported manageable caseloads and access to support when managing risk.

However, recording of safeguarding and clinical information was not consistent across all records, which limited full assurance that risk was always documented comprehensively. Some people described inconsistent experiences at the Marsham Court venue, including difficulty accessing the building or limited staff presence, which reduced confidence in the reliability of the environment and could affect engagement with support.