Archived: Ciconia Recovery London

Updated 23 May 2022

Ciconia Recovery London is a community-based alcohol, drug and accompanying mental health service. The service provides clinical treatment to clients based throughout the UK (United Kingdom), with some clients being based internationally.

The service provides treatment to people over the age of 18. Clients were self-funded or used private insurance to fund their care and treatment.

The service provides a range of treatments that include community-based alcohol detoxification and opiate substitute prescribing as part of a gradual reduction programme leading to abstinence. The service also provides assessment and treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults.

The service had a caseload of 133 clients at the time of the inspection. Most of these cases were for ADHD assessment and treatment. The registered manager told us that they had stopped providing alcohol detoxification after the last client had completed it the same week we inspected the service. The registered manager also told us the service planned to stop opiate substitute prescribing for abstinence to concentrate solely on their ADHD clients.

The current registered manager is the consultant psychiatrist (medical practitioner) of the service.

The service has been registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) since April 2020. The service is registered to provide treatment of disease, disorder or injury. There is a registered manager in place.

This was the first time we have inspected Ciconia Recovery London.

What people who use the service say

We spoke with five clients who used the service. Clients described it as a friendly place. One client said that it ‘felt like home’ and was ‘comfortable’. Another client stated they had good communication with the service.

Clients described the assessment process as comprehensive, clearly explained and with good liaison between the service and their GP.

Clients said they received thorough telephone assessments before starting treatment. Three clients said staff took an integrated approach and discussed lifestyle factors when managing their conditions, this included diet and nutrition, yoga, meditation and individualised coping mechanisms beyond traditional therapy.

Clients had flexibility and choice in the appointment times available. Clients said appointments did not always run on time, but staff informed clients when they did not. Clients often waited longer than their appointment time to be seen as previous appointments often over ran. However, clients said this did not cause problems as the doctor spent a good amount of time with them. Clients said they appreciated this.  

Updated 23 May 2022

This was our first comprehensive inspection of Ciconia Recovery London. The service registered with the CQC in April 2020. The service is a community-based alcohol, drug and accompanying mental health service.

We rated this service as good because:

• The service provided safe care for clients. Staff used a recognised risk assessment tool which included areas of potential risks to clients such as overdose or suicide. Staff safely carried out physical health checks on clients going through assisted withdrawal from alcohol. Medical staff followed best practice guidance when prescribing medicines for clients.
• Staff developed care plans to support clients going through a community detoxification. Clients receiving treatment for attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) had a comprehensive assessment completed by the doctor. Staff provided appropriate care and treatment interventions suitable for clients’ recovery. Staff worked hard to reduce the physical and mental health problems related to substance misuse.
• The team had access to the full range of specialists to support clients with their substance misuse and mental health. This included a doctor and a medical director who specialised in addictions and dual diagnosis. Staff worked well together as a multidisciplinary team and relevant services outside the organisation. Staff actively engaged with GPs and other healthcare organisations to provide holistic care to the clients.
• Managers ensured that staff received training, supervision, and appraisal to ensure they were competent working in substance misuse and dual diagnosis.
• Staff demonstrated a compassionate understanding of the impact clients’ care and treatment could have on their emotional and social wellbeing. Clients were positive about the care they received from staff.
• The service was easy to access and clients self-referred. The service had a clear admission criteria of which clients they could accept for treatment. The service only accepted clients whose needs they assessed they could safely meet. Staff planned and managed discharge well and had alternative pathways for people whose needs it could not meet.
• The service aimed to support people in harder to reach communities through participating in community events and online conferences. For example, the doctor recently gave a talk on gender and neurodiversity at the local arts centre celebrating international women’s day.
• The service was well led, and the leadership team had the skills and experience to aid clients in their recovery. Staff identified risks and planned for them by completing a service risk register. Risks included medicines management, infection control and COVID-19. The governance processes ensured that its services ran smoothly. This included audits and systems to monitor the effectiveness of the service and improve client care.

However:

• Whilst risk was appropriately assessed and managed, improvements were needed in how staff recorded individual client risks and how they were managed in their care and treatment records.
• Staff understood how to protect clients and children from abuse. However, improvements were needed to ensure the service established appropriate networks with other stakeholders, for example, their host local authority, to work in partnership to ensure that vulnerable adults and children were protected from abuse. 

Updated 23 May 2022