Primary Care Recovery Service (PCRS)

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

• The service provided safe care. The premises where clients were seen were safe and clean. The number of clients on the caseloads of individual members of staff had recently risen, but was not too high to prevent staff from giving each client the time they needed. Staff assessed and managed risk well. They followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.
• Staff developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. They supported clients to set goals for their recovery and agree action plans to achieve these goals. Staff used formal assessment tools to ascertain the nature and severity of clients’ drug use. 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 teams included or had access to the full range of specialists required to meet the needs of clients under their care. The service had introduced a competency framework to ensure staff were sufficiently skilled. Managers ensured that all 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 the individual needs of clients. They actively involved clients in decisions and care planning. The service recognised that support from families and friends was often an essential part of clients’ recovery.
• The service was easy to access. The service provided an initial appointment for clients within ten days of referral. Staff planned and managed discharges well and had alternative pathways for people whose needs could not be met by the service.
• The service was well led, and the governance processes ensured that its procedures ran smoothly. Staff felt valued and supported. Staff met each week to review the governance and performance of the service, as well as to provide support to colleagues and discuss complex clients.