Updated 28 December 2022
Change Grow Live Cambridgeshire Alcohol and Drug Behavioural Change Service is part of a national Change Grow Live provider who provide a not-for-profit drug and alcohol treatment service. The provider took over this service in October 2018 from the previous provider.
Change Grow Live Cambridgeshire operates a hub and spoke model. The Cambridgeshire services are across three bases in Cambridge, Huntingdon and Wisbech. Satellite sites in Ely, St Neots, St Ives, Ramsey, March, Chatteris and Whittlesey ensure accessibility for clients. The service is open access to anyone with a drug or alcohol issue over the age of 18 years.
The service delivers a range of interventions such as advice and guidance, brief and extended interventions, Foundations of Recovery group work, psycho-social support, medical assessments and treatment. The service provides alcohol screening, advice and brief interventions, blood-borne virus screening and vaccination, access to Hepatitis C treatment, a drug interventions programme, criminal justice services, drug rehabilitation requirements and alcohol treatment requirements services. The service can accommodate those with physical disabilities. Each hub has a number of specialist teams and recovery workers: the opiate team, alcohol team, homeless team and criminal justice team and families safeguarding team. Change Grow Live Cambridgeshire is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide treatment of disease disorder or injury as a regulated activity. The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection.
What people who use the service say
We spoke with ten clients. Clients told us:
They feel safe using the service for face-to-face appointments, group meetings and telephone appointments.
The service is accommodating to their needs and provides good telephone support, this included the use of text messaging.
The service manages medication and supports recovery well.
The service provides useful information on other services as well as help with finances (including benefits), housing, bereavement counselling, psychological support and social support.
Group meetings were helpful; the gardening group and the acupuncture sessions were particularly helpful.
The service arranges appointments at suitable dates/times and appointments usually run on time. The appointment reminders were very helpful.
The staff are very welcoming.
Staff are easy to talk to and non-judgemental. They are very interested in the person’s well-being.
They feel listened to and have built trusting relationships.
They are offered refreshments which is greatly appreciated.
The service responds to voicemails, text messages and e-mails in a timely manner.
There are regular progress reviews and the service is responsive to individual needs.
They appreciate the consistency in staff however two clients were concerned about low staffing levels in Cambridge.
Clients are offered training to become peer support workers for the organisation and they can be employed when they have completed the training.