13 November 2014
During an inspection in response to concerns
We found there was poor assessment and planning of care by recovery workers. This was in part due to the fact that the service had not always ensured staff had sufficient skills and experience to carry out all aspects of their role and had not always provided specific training in working with people who misused drugs and alcohol. Some of the recovery staff we spoke with had no previous experience of working in a drug and alcohol service.
Some of the recovery staff we spoke with had very limited knowledge of substance misuse issues and there was nothing in place within the staff induction period to ensure staff developed the necessary knowledge and understanding.
Turning Point had not ensured that staff had sufficient skills to assess people with complex needs and had the skills and training to develop effective and meaningful care plans. We saw the Service Improvement Action Plan which identified poor care planning. As part of the plan we saw that some training was delivered within the weekly team meetings. We found that whilst the basics of good care planning had been discussed the staff had not implemented this. The action plan did not identify any clear system to ensure that improvements in care plans were implemented. The action plan identified that care plans would be audited throughout October 2014 however at the time of our visit the first audit was about to take place.
We found that there was a lack of effective systems in operation to ensure staff were delivering an effective service.
Team meetings were held regularly and minutes demonstrate that there were many clients at risk of suicide, self harm and physical problems. Although the team were made aware of the issues there was no record of any team discussion in these meetings of how staff could manage and support people effectively.